Shadows of a Rookie
by T.J. Elise
Summary: Jules has left the SRU to have her and Sam's first child. Greg brings in a new recruit. Will this mean romance for Spike, or will her past shadows interfere with any chance of a more than work relationship?
1. Chapter 1 Greg's Announcement

Chapter One- Greg's Announcement

Sam Braddock strode into the SRU building, humming to himself. His friend Spike Scarlatti took one look at his face and snorted.

"Happy day, buddy?"

Sam grinned. "There's nothing like walking out the door with a kiss from your wife, on your anniversary."

Spike's jaw dropped. "No way! Not possible! You guys just got married!"

Sam rolled his steel blue eyes. "A year ago, Spike. That's the thing about anniversaries, you know. They come every year."

"Has it really been long?"

"I tell ya," said Sam. "It's even more fun being married to Jules than it was dating her."

Eddie walked over and leaned up against the counter where the guys were talking. "Oh yeah! Happy anniversary, buddy."

Sam smiled. "Been quite a year."

"Dang! I'll say it has!" laughed Spike. "You sure wasted no time getting Jules knocked up!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "We're married, Spike. When people get married, generally children come along. I'm allowed to get her pregnant. Here that word, buddy? Pregnant. Say it with me now, pregnant. Not knocked up, but pregnant."

Eddie interrupted the young officers' word debate. "You know Sam," he laughed. "Pretty soon you'll be stuck watching every existing Hannah Montana episode, over and over again. Just like poor Wordy!"

Sam grimaced. "I am not letting my child watch that show. That chick poisons minds, I tell ya."

"But she looks really hot in skinny jeans!" piped up Spike.

Eddie looked at Spike in amusement. "I'm just curious, Spike. How would you even know that?"

Spike rushed for an excuse. "Well, like you said, poor Wordy has to watch every existing episode with those girls. Not that I feel sorry for him, you know. I think it's pretty obvious that the guy's been having some serious good times with Shelley. What is it, number four on the way?" He shoved Sam. "Better get busy if you want to catch up to that guy!"

Sam shook his head. "One's plenty, for now." He eyes Spike mischievously. "You, Michelangelo, are another matter."

Spike threw up his hands in defense. "No girlfriend, let alone a wife. Now I'm not a genius, but I'm pretty sure that for me to have kids, there has to be a woman involved."

Sam shook his head. "Well, Jules has a friend…"

"Does this one shave?" asked Eddie.

"Maybe this is another one of those, what do you call them, um?" Wordy, who had just entered the conversation, searched for a word.

"Hookers?" suggested Eddie.

"I was looking for a nicer word," sighed Wordy. "Yes, hookers."

Spike's mouth twitched, despite his efforts to look serious. "They weren't hookers, they just showed a little too much skin for my taste."

"I come bearing coffee!" yelled Greg, walking into the SRU building carrying a pair of Timmie's trays. "Any what are we talking about?"

"Spike's inability to keep a woman who is not metal and made of remote control," informed Sam.

"When has Spike ever had a woman to keep?" asked Greg. The team burst into laughter, while Spike just shook his head. He had grown used to the jokes about his singleness. Honestly, most of the time she didn't mind not being in a relationship. But it got hard when he saw how happy Sam and Jules were. He was happy for Sam, especially. A wife like Jules and having a kid on the way had turned him into a happy man. Spike couldn't help wishing, especially as he looked at the contentment on Sam's face, that he might grab a piece of that happiness for himself. He was 28, already, with absolutely no relationship prospects in waiting. He wanted to settle down badly, but finding a girl who felt the same, let alone that he was in love with, was harder than he'd ever thought. In many ways, he envied the perfect fit of Sam and Jules.

"Ok!" called Greg, snapping Spike back into the real world. "I have an announcement to make, and it concerns all of us. Lewis, get your butt off the weight bench and get over here. Spike, save the dreams of a girl who can tolerate you-and your smell-for later."

Scary, how Greg knew what he was thinking. Granted, they had been talking about his relationship status, but the reality of how he just knew creeped Spike out.

"Okay," said Greg. "I think it's fair to say that Jules won't be coming back to us for awhile.

Wordy took this opportunity to blow a raspberry. Team One burst into laughter at Sam's obvious embarrassment.

Greg regained order quickly. "So I took her absence as a sign to bring in a new officer.

"Not Donna!" moaned Spike. "Queen of the Underworld isn't resurrecting?"

Eddie burst out laughing as Greg glared at Spike. "No, she's not coming back. Careful, Spike."

Spike shrugged, and the felt a flare of mischief rush through him. "I speak nothing but the truth, oh brave and fearless leader!"

Greg rolled his eyes. "No, I've brought in a new recruit."

"What's his name?"asked Sam.

"Cassidy. Her name is Cassidy."


	2. Chapter 2 Gross Eggs and Fish Eyes

**Just for the record, so that I don't have CTV coming after me with a lawyer (Not that you'll get much today, a ham sandwich and a Tim Tebow jersey, tops!) I don't own Flashpoint. Just so everyone knows. **

Spike wasn't sure how to react to the news that the new recruit-the rookie-was female. It was one thing to have Jules on the team, she was Jules! But a new girl?

'"Her," said Eddie, stating the obvious. "As in a female?"

"No," said Greg sarcastically. "It's a bi-gender. Yes, she is a girl. What? You never had any problems with Jules being a girl."

Spike watched as Wordy carefully chose his words. "Greg-um, Jules was Jules. I meant, it was Jules, and we loved her! Hiring on another girl's like, I don't know, trying to replace her or something."

"What about Donna? She was a female and you didn't have a problem with that!"

Spike spoke up. "Donna was….freaky. She was just freaky. Honestly, we knew you weren't trying to replace Jules."

"I'm not trying to replace anybody!" cried Greg, in complete exasperation. "But we have to move on already. Sam and Jules got married, and now Jules is pregnant with a baby."

"Oh really," muttered Lewis. "Here I thought she was having kittens."

Greg overheard Lewis and shook his head. "C'mon guys, give her a chance! She's not Jules, will not try to be Jules, and will never be Jules. She's her own person, ok?"

A murmur of displeasure, mostly from Sam and Lewis, was silenced by Greg's scathing glare.

"Fine," sighed Lewis. "Make the call, boss. Go team one."

Greg shook his head. "I hope you over-ego divas-"

"Over-ego?" interrupted Spike, hoping to lighten the mood. "Is that like over-easy? As in eggs?" he grinned at Greg's obvious annoyance. "Because I am hungry."

"Don't!" moaned Sam. "Don't mention eggs. I will never, ever eat eggs again." He smiled at his team's confusion. "Jules! How the heck does a person eat eggs like that?"

"Cravings?" guessed Wordy. "Shelley had some really gross ones. Like pizza with anchovies, blah!"

"How are anchovies gross?" asked Eddie

"Um, besides the fact that they have eyes, and that she actually eats them? Fish eyeballs! And I swear I saw one blink." Wordy shuddered.

"Ew!" groaned Spike.

"Yeah, well Jules?" Sam shook his head. "Jules is eating scrambled eggs with relish, seafood sauce, and vanilla ice cream."

"WHAT?" yelped Eddie. "What the heck is she craving?"

"A stomach pump?" guessed Spike.

"GUYS!" yelled Greg, scrambling for his team's attention. "Focus! New recruit! Don't think about eating fish eyes or really gross eggs."

"Chill, boss!" laughed Eddie. "We're cool! New recruit, ok!"

"Good," said Greg, eyeing his entire team. "Because she's standing outside, waiting to come in and meet you guys."


	3. Chapter 3 Mood Swings

**Sorry that it has taken so long to update! However, the story has improved over time, and I have had some time to really think about Cassidy's character…Hope it works out!**

Greg stepped out to go bring the rookie into the building, leaving the rest of his team in silence.

"I feel like we should be betting on character traits or something," sighed Wordy, finally breaking the silence.

"Or size…" suggested Sam. "Ten bucks says she's taller than Jules."

"No fair!" moaned Spike. "Unless you're a midget, you're bound to be taller than Jules!"

"Guys!" called Greg, entering the room.

Spike turned to see Greg enter with Cassidy at his side.

"Crap!" whispered Wordy. "Sam, I take the bet. She's shorter than Jules."

Wordy was right. Spike was unimpressed by the young woman's stance, which didn't top 5'3". Not only was she tiny in height, but she was also willowy. Jules had been able to get away with a height disadvantage by being built like a mini-tank. Spike couldn't imagine the young woman taking down any suspect.

Cassidy couldn't be more than 22, in Spike's opinion. Large grayish green eyes that were almost too big for her face blinked up at him, surrounded by very long caramel hair. It was as he sized her up that he noticed her arms. They were perfectly proportioned, but horribly disfigured by jagged scars cutting across the inside flesh.

"I'm not a piece of beef to eye up, you know," she snapped at him, eyes flashing. Spike nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden intensity from her.

"S-sorry," Spike stammered.

"Cassidy," Greg interrupted, "Don't worry about Spike. He sizes people up, it's just his nature. His real name's Michelangelo, but just call him Spike. It's too hard to say his name, otherwise. Over there's Eddie. If you ever lose Eddie, just look for a shining bald head. You'll find him every time. Sam's our war veteran, and one of the best tactical guys in the whole SRU. I might've told you that you're actually replacing Sam's wife, Jules."

"Since Sam thought it was a good idea to knock her up!" shouted Lewis.

Sam just rolled his eyes, and Greg continued. "Big mouth over there is Lewis, he's the utility man. He shoots off his mouth a lot, but otherwise he's harmless. And last, but not least, there's Wordy. His locker is the one covered with little kids' drawings. He is also known to come into work with nail polish."

Cassidy snorted. "How many kids you got?" she asked.

Wordy smiled. "Three girls, and another on the way."

She smiled, and Spike liked how it softened her otherwise hard expressions. This girl's appearance was deceiving. She looked delicate, but had a hard and determined look to her. He didn't plan on crossing paths with her more often that necessary.

"Cassidy starts work tomorrow," said Greg. "Spike, she's your new partner."

Spike's jaw dropped. "We're partners?" He didn't like the idea of having to work with her constantly. He also didn't like the way his palms sweat at the thought of working with her all the time.

Greg nodded. "You're experienced, you can train her. I don't doubt it. Sam, you'll work with Wordy, and Lewis runs with Eddie. Pretty similar to what we've been doing."

"You have no training?" interrupted Eddie, directing his question towards Cassidy.

"I took a year on the streets before coming here, but not much else," she replied. She shrugged her shoulders, and gave a shy smile. This also surprised Spike, and worried him. He wasn't keen on working with an inexperienced kid who had major mood swings, which she had obviously displayed. In less than five minutes, she had gone from snapping at him to chatting with Wordy about his kids to becoming shy about her lack of experience. Complicated, and not his idea of an ideal partner. "Greg assured me that I'd learn on the job, though."

"So why is she here?" asked Eddie. Spike felt a sense of relief at the fact that he wasn't the only one who seemed opposed to this new girl. She seemed nice enough, but he could tell that working with her would result in some toes being stepped on. "No offense, sweetheart, but why on earth are we taking on a kid with next to know experience? And a female at that?"

Greg opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Cassidy. "First of all, I'm not anybody's sweetheart, buddy. And second of all, I beat out six other male applicants for the job, so don't give me any crap about being female. I'm sick of hearing it, and I don't need it. I can do this job as well as anyone else, I just need to get a gun and be given a freakin' chance to actually work."

Greg spoke up. "She starts tomorrow boys, not open for discussion."

"That's fair!" spoke up Spike, surprising himself. He wasn't exactly thrilled with Greg's choice, and yet he couldn't help but speaking up for Cassidy. He ignored the annoyed stares of Eddie and Lewis and continued/ "We'll give her a shot. If she doesn't cut it, she doesn't. But we don't cut her out because she's female, or inexperienced."

Cassidy shot him a look of surprise mixed with mild appreciation. A small smile curled her lips, and Spike fought the thump of his heart. This was not his kind of woman, not at all. So how come he felt so unsettled around her?

**I have been awake for twenty straight hours, so I am beginning to doubt the quality of this chapter. Hopefully it works out ok and isn't all jumbled up. I will update again when I am not counting on Dr. Pepper to keep me awake at my keyboard. I also do love reviews! **


	4. Chapter 4 Apologies

**I'm just going to say right now that I don't own Flashpoint, or anything else you might recognize. Just so we're clear!**

'_What the frick were you thinking, Brooks? _'Cassidy wondered to herself as she drove her old 4x4 to the SRU building. She couldn't help but keep beating herself up over her reaction to Eddie and Spike yesterday. It was one thing to get a little bit annoyed that the team was questioning her capabilities, but it was another thing to completely snap at two of her new teammates.

'_Where does that stuff even come from?' _Of course, she knew. Everything happened for a reason, including her extreme defensiveness. She tried to remember that no one except Greg knew her past, and that no one was judging her on what she'd done. But she had spent the last three years trying to convince her once close friends and family that she was not what they made her out to be. She was on high defense all the time, and trying to understand that she didn't need to be was harder than any hostage situation she'd ever experienced.

She heaved a sigh and slipped the keys out of her ignition, acknowledging her arrival. She grabbed her black duffel bag and hopped out, prepping to start what promised to be an interesting first day.

"Morning Cass!" called Sam, as she walked in. She blinked in surprise at the welcome, and gave a small wave in his direction. When was the last time somebody who knew who she was actually treated her with that much friendliness?

'_Not since I tried to buck their system,'_ she thought. _'And they don't really know me. They know my name, and my rank, but that's it. And we'll keep it that way.'_

'_First things first, though, I owe a couple people an apology.' _

She bit back a sigh of frustration. She hated apologizing to anyone, mostly because she hated being wrong in any way. She was used to being in the right, and being the one that people were unreasonable towards. But the last thing she needed was to get off on the wrong foot, especially if she stayed here in Toronto like she planned. She saw Ed's shining bald head from across the room, and walked over.

"Hey, Ed," she said, leaning up against the wall by where he was pressing weights.

"Morning, Brooks," he replied coolly.

She bit her lip in annoyance. It was bad enough that she was stuck apologizing to the guy, but did he have to be so rude? She knew that he felt she wasn't good enough, and that pissed her off. Royally.

'_Professional, Brooks,' _she thought. '_Be professional about this. Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's got you peeved, and don't give him ammo against you. Just get the apology over, walk away, and don't communicate with him more than necessary.'_

"Look, Ed," she sighed. "I was out of line, snapping at you like that yesterday."

Ed glanced over at her, and she was sure she saw a flicker of amusement trace his eyes. "Yep, you were."

His acknowledgement of that ticked her off even more, but she stayed calm. "I was a bit cranky, and probably shouldn't have taken it out on you. So, I'm sorry, alright?"

"A bit cranky?" asked Ed, the outside of his lips curling upwards. "Is that what we're calling it?"

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Her Mom had forever lectured her on that, saying that it made her look like she was 6. "Yeah, we're calling it that. So are we cool?"

Ed shook his head. "You sound like my son, you know that? Yes, we're 'cool.'"

"Cool?" asked Sam, having just walked over and catching the last part of the conversation. "I didn't think such a young term was in your speech, Eddie!"

Ed eyed Sam suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean, Samtastic?"

"That you're old, and therefore use old person words."

Eddie shook his head. "I'm not old!"

"Have you seen a mirror, recently there Baldy?"

Cassidy finally did roll her eyes and walked away, leaving the two men laughing. '_One apology down, one to go.'_

She climbed onto a bike and waited for Spike to come in. She upped the resistance, feeling a satisfying pull in her legs.

"Hey!" Cassidy turned at the sound of Spike's voice, and was surprised to see a very pretty, very pregnant young woman at Spike's side. "Look who I found outside!"  
>Immediately, Sam set down the weights and ran over, planting a kiss on the woman's lips.<p>

'_That must be Jules.' _She thought. The dark haired woman who stood only an inch above her, who had been one of the best snipers in SRU, apparently; Sam Braddock's wife, the girl that everyone on the team loved. _'No pressure in trying to be her replacement.'_ She mused.

She watched as everyone gather around Jules, laughing and talking with her. A surprising pang of jealousy hit Cassidy as she watched Sam pull Jules close, and gently place his other hand on her swollen belly. These two were obviously young, in love, and excited for the future.

'_What would it be like,' _she wondered. _'To have a relationship like that? I mean, to be in love like crazy, with someone that would stand beside you? A good guy, not like-'_

A memory rushed through her mind. _**Sitting out on a beach with him, holding hands. He always touched her too much, made her uncomfortable, but that was love, right? **_

_**And then a piercing wail, cutting through-**_

She shoved the memories away, before they could surface. What had happened in Alberta stayed in Alberta. She was in Toronto now, two full provinces between her and the place that held every sort of heartbreak she'd ever known. It was stupid, on her part. But it wasn't totally her fault. If certain people hadn't kept her so naïve to everything in the world, maybe it would have ended up better.

But that was the past, and she wasn't going to think about it. Her past sucked, but she'd moved on. And she wasn't going back there, to relive everything. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

Spike walked over and got on the bike beside her. He gave her a cocky little grin as he upped his resistance. "Ready to start the first day, kid?"

To her own surprise, the 'kid' reference didn't tick her off like it had yesterday. For some reason, coming from him, it almost seemed…affectionate?

"Yep!" she grinned. "Hey, Spike. I just wanted to say sorry about being so touchy yesterday. I was having an off day-nope. No excuses, I was a total prick. My bad, and I'm sorry. That wasn't me, honestly."

Spike shrugged. "Accepted. We're all good, seriously. Off days hit everybody. Trust me, when Eddie has one, hell seems like a pretty warm and friendly place to be."

She laughed. "Well, we'll minimize mine. Anyways, about being ready to start-"

"Team One!" called Winnie. "We've got a hot one! Armed and dangerous, hostage in hand."

Cassidy glanced over and saw Spike eyeing her. "Well, you'd better be ready, because we're about to have the first crash course in how to talk down a guy with a gun."


	5. Chapter 5 Talking Down

**And we continue the story…I think what I'm going to do is highlight Cassidy's first day on the job, and then fast forward about a month…otherwise this could go on forever! By the way, I don't own Flashpoint. Or Converse shoes. I also don't own Jelly Belly's. They're not in the story, but I am eating them as I type. So just so we're clear. Dang, that was random…oh well!**

**I've rated this T for caution, since I want to keep it clean but don't need to get blasted for any content that's too mature for younger readers.**

**I give out virtual Jelly Belly's to reviewers! ****J**

"You might want to suit up." Spike told Cassidy, as they stepped out of the SRU vehicle.

She grinned. "Not that much of a rookie, Scarlatti. I know that we should suit up!"

He couldn't help but stare at her. Gone was the resentful girl that had been in SRU yesterday. It was like she'd had a sudden personality transplant overnight. It definitely didn't help his professionalism. But Spike wasn't dumb. He knew when to keep his mouth shut, and he figured her sudden change of demeanor was one of the occasions just to shut up.

"So after we suit up, what's next?" she asked.

Spike smiled as she fought with the buckles on her vest, and reached in to help her snap them into place. He ignored the sudden heat he felt at actually making contact with her. He was a professional, and he didn't want a girlfriend. Girlfriends were a lot of work, and he needed to focus on working his way up as an SRU officer. And he definitely couldn't date a teammate. He couldn't help but wonder, though, what she would look like on a date. He wasn't sure if she'd be the kind of girl to wear a dress. If there was a dress involved, it would be a casual one. And while heels would boost her height, he just couldn't picture her in them. Converse shoes maybe, but not heels.

"Spike!"

He jerked his weird thoughts away and packed them in the basement of his brain. "Yeah?"

"You didn't answer my question! You just zoned out on me, or something. What do we do after suit up?"

Spike fought to regain his composure. "Greg gives us a run through of where he wants us to go. Once he does that, we go do a check through of the building until we isolate suspect and hostage. Sierras-" he pointed to Sam and Eddie. "Tend to be those guys. They'll move into position so that we have a clear shot at the suspect. Greg'll try and talk him down."

"So what do we do?"

"We'll be there in case anything goes South."

She eyed him with her big green eyes. "What goes South? I mean, he either surrenders and gets out, or doesn't and get shot, right? Hostage gets top priority?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "You've got a lot to learn, rookie. Yeah, hostage gets top priority. BUT, we always try and get everybody out alive. Lethal is the last resort. You try to avoid it at all costs."

"Um, ok?"

Spike laughed at how flustered she looked. "Don't worry, it's something called on the job experience. You only get it be actually trying to do these things."

"So what does Lewis do?"

"He'll be Greg's go-for. And run checks and stuff. Everything Jules did before she got extremely pregnant."

A loud bang startled both of the officers out of their conversation.

"Shots fired!" yelled Eddie, over the radio. "Everyone good?"

"We're fine here," said Spike. "Hey Boss, who's our hostage? And our suspect? We're going to go south entrance on this thing."

He nodded to Cassidy, and the two of them took off towards the large apartment building.

"Suspect is one Jake Reese," said Greg. "He's a convicted drug dealer out on parole. Our hostage is seven year-old Jamie Fletcher. She was playing with her friend in the hall of the apartment when the guy came up and grabbed her. No one knows why yet, but we'll keep talking to witnesses."

"Creep never should've been out of the tank in the first place," muttered Cassidy.

Spike checked to make sure they had clear entrance, and carefully opened the door. "We're clear to move, Brooks. You want me to go first?"

She rolled her eyes, and for a moment looked like a teenager being told she couldn't have the car keys. "No, thanks. I'm used to this kind of thing."

Spike shook his head. "No, you're not rookie. Trust me, you're not. But if you want to carefully go up, being on high alert, I'm good with that."

She smiled slightly. "Fine, I'll be careful. Any report on what the shot was about, Greg?"

"Nothing yet," came the reply. "We're trying to get a hold of Reese right now, but he's not answering."

"Bastard," she muttered.

Spike carefully checked his blind spots, making sure that he and Cassidy were clear from any possible surprise shots. He nodded to her, and they carefully moved towards the stair well.

"Stop!" hissed Spike, yanking Cassidy back towards the hall way. Spike's blood turned cold as he saw Reese stumble up the stairs, gun in hand. He carried with him a little girl, whom Spike assumed was Jamie. Reese hadn't seen them yet.

'_And we'll keep it that way'_ thought Spike.

"Suspect in site, hostage in hand. No injuries visible on Jamie," he heard Cassidy whisper.

"Is he in any shape to talk?" asked Greg.

"Doubt it," she whispered. Spike glanced over in admiration at her quick evaluation. She caught on quick. "The guy's upset about something. What are we supposed to do now?"

"Spike," said Greg. "You probably have a pretty good grasp on things here. What happens if you make your presence known?"

Spike shook his head as he tried to think this through. "I'd be worried about the gun on the little girl. There's no phone ringing, Boss. I don't think you're gonna get a hold of him."

"HEY!" A loud yell startled Spike and Cassidy. Spike spun around and saw a furious Jake Reese standing in front of them, gun at Jamie's head. "There's no fricken' cops supposed to be around. Do you want me to shoot her? Cuz you ain't gettin' her ever again!"

By the way he slurred his words and his awful grammar, Spike immediately realized that the man was drunk.

"No," he said. "We don't want that. We aren't going to take Jamie. We just want to talk, that's all."

"Well maybe I don't want talk to…to talk or whatever it is. I'm dead, she's dead, and soon you be dead."

"Guy's drunk as a bird on three year old berries," muttered Cassidy. "Listen, Jake, we don't want anyone to die."

"Good girl," whispered Spike. "Talk him down, now. Don't be threatening, we want him to think that we're on his side."

"You-s ain't gonna take me back to prison. You get outta here, you cops."

"We'd like to do that," replied Spike. "But we need to take Jamie with us to see her parents. They're really worried about her, Jake."

"They ain't her parents. You-s don't call them bastards her parents. They ain't deserve her! You just give me want I what and no one gets hurt!"

"Huh?" whispered Cassidy.

"What he wants," replied Spike. "We need to give him what he wants."

"So what's he want?"

"No idea, yet. He has to tell us that. Boss, any idea why this is happening?"

"We got a hold of his ex-girlfriend. I guess Jake got her pregnant, and she wasn't ready to raise the baby. She went off, had the baby, and sent her to social services. Little girl was adopted out shortly after that."

"How many years ago?" asked Spike.

"Seven. Jake is Jamie's father. Apparently he found out shortly after he got out of prison on good behavior that he had a daughter. That would have been about two weeks ago."

"So this is a planned kidnapping," whispered Cassidy. "He wants his daughter back." Jake was pacing in front of them, Jamie still in his arms. Neither of the officers wanted to speak loudly for fear of setting the man off.

"Look, I-s just want to get out of here…you-s just let me go now, ok?" Jake staggered towards them.

"She has your eyes, Jake," said Cassidy suddenly. Spike eyed her, wondering where she was taking this.

"I know-s she does. She's a little daddy's girl."

"You love her a lot, don't you?"

Jake's dark brown eyes suddenly looked sad. "I always wanted a little girl. She so pretty, just like her Mommy was…But then Jess didn't like that she was comin', wanted to get rid of it."

"And now you want Jamie."

"She's my little princess, yup, a princess."

"Jake, look at your daughter."

Jake hiccupped and looked at Jamie's tear streaked face. "Why you cryin', princess?"

"Jake," Cassidy spoke forcefully, now forcing his eyes back to her. "I get it. You want the family that was snatched from you. I know you love Jamie. She is beautiful."

"I jus wanna take her home now," he said. He hiccupped again.

"I know you do, Jake. But listen," her voice took on such a soft tone that it surprised Spike. "Jamie's got a home. Jamie's got someone looking after her. But if you take her away, what'll happen when you go back to jail?"

"I ain't never going back to that hell-hole!" yelled Jake.

"Subject escalating, back it off Brooks," said Greg.

"Sierra One with a solution," said Eddie.

"Copy that," whispered Cassidy. "Just let me try this."

She turned back to Jake. "Jake, I know how it feels."

"You dunno this feeling! You can't know it!"

"You love Jamie, and you want to be with her more than everything. But Jake, sometimes we have to let go. We can't always be there for the people we love."

Jake, to Spike's surprise, began to cry. He glanced over at Cassidy, who seemed to know that she was hitting a nerve with them.

"Jake," said Spike, feeling that he needed to back Cassidy up. "If you just put down the gun, we can all walk away from this. Nobody needs to get hurt here."

"No, no one needs to get hurt," said Cassidy. "But people are already hurting, right Jake? You're heart is breaking right now, isn't it?"

"Shut up!" he yelled.

"Careful, Cassidy," she heard Greg say over the radio. "You might want to back off a bit. We can't have him escalating and hurting Jamie. He's drunk and doesn't know what he's doing. Just take it easy on him."

"Jake, it's ok. It's gonna hurt. Letting go always does. And it won't go away. When you love someone that much, it doesn't just stop hurting. But you have to trust that Jamie's going to be ok, that she has a family who loves her."

"I don't wanna miss it, though. She's gonna up grow, and never know her Daddy!"

"So miss the moments. Mourn for it, but Jake, look at Jamie. She doesn't know you, Jake. She's afraid. I know it hurts, but just let Jamie go. Trust that she's going to be able to go without you. Do what's best for her, right now."

Spike watched in amazement as Jake sank to his knees, sobbing. He cradled Jamie in his arms, and stroked her hair for a moment. Then, he released Jamie.

Immediately, Wordy and Lewis burst in from behind him, pinning him to the ground. Spike let out an exhale of relief as Eddie came by and scooped up Jamie, probably to deliver her to her parents. He glanced over at Cassidy, and to his surprise, saw a tear trickle down her cheek.

"You ok?" asked Spike, concerned about the show of emotion by the rookie. He momentarily wondered what it would be like to brush that tear off her cheek, but kept that thought to himself.

"His heart is breaking, right now," she whispered. "But he let her go."

"I thought he was a bastard," he said with a flicker of amusement.

"No," she sighed. "He's a hurting man. That's all he is, is just hurting."

Spike gently put his arm around her, even though he knew it wasn't professional of him, and led her out of the building.


	6. Chapter 6 Teasing

**TJ has returned! (Fist pump) Ok, so I had those glorious things called exams and couldn't get on here any sooner. But I'm here now, so let's give this a go! Again, I don't own Flashpoint. Nor do I own Pampered Chef. Again, that was a random product inclusion of things that I don't own.**

"_Help me, please! Somebody!"_

_She wasn't able to move. Her legs felt like led, and briefly she realized that blood dripped from her arms. But she couldn't stop. She had to keep fighting. This was a battle that she couldn't afford to lose. She brushed her hair back, ignoring the stabbing pain, and pulled herself off of the fence. She had to get there…_

"Hey Brooks, you ok?"

Cassidy glanced over and smiled at Sam. "Yeah, I'm good."

She'd taken a moment to emotionally detach herself from the situation with Jamie. It did her good, helped her regain her presence of mind. And that's what it all came down to, didn't it? A good presence of mind.

"Nice job, rookie," said Eddie. She blinked in surprise. A compliment from Ed Lane was something to be valued. "Everybody's ok, we write a report, we move on."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Just another day on the job."

Cassidy nodded and climbed into the SUV, losing herself in her own thoughts.

"Hey Cass," said Sam. "You doing anything tonight?"

She shook her head. "I'm one of those no-lifers. No life what so ever."

"Hey Spike!" said Lewis."Maybe there's a reason you two are partners!"

She grinned at the Italian man, who was just shaking his head. She hadn't had much of a chance to size him up yet.

"Spike's welcome to come too. Anyone, actually. Jules and I are heading out for wings tonight. No beer, though, since she's got the whole baby bump thing going on."

"Since she got knocked up?" asked Lewis.

Same just glared at Lewis. "Pregnant. She conceived a child and is now pregnant."

"Well aren't we just Mr. Accurate today?" laughed Wordy.

"So do you want to come?" Sam finally ignored the guys and turned to Cassidy. "Jules really wants to meet you."

It was Cassidy's policy to never become involved in peoples' lives. That way she could live hers without having to answer questions about her past. But she also got lonely, and she couldn't see the harm in one outing. Then she thought of the truck.

"I'd love to, Sam, but…"

"But?"

"My Ford just died. Otherwise I'd be there."

Sam shrugged. "No worries. We'll just pick you up."

She grinned. She wasn't getting out of showing up. "Alright, that'd be cool!"

"Spike, Lew, anyone else? Come on, Spike. We all know you'll just sit at home and talk to Babycakes. Come live in the real world for awhile."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll come."

"Lew?"

"Uh, no. I can't make it."

Eddie's interest perked. "Why not?"

"I just can't make it."

Eddie grinned and leaned over. "You have plans?

"No!"

Eddie just nodded his head. "Yes you do…With a lady?"

"Of course not!"

"Ohhhh…" Sam joined in. "There's a Lady Lewis?"

"Guys, knock it off. No!"

Sam leaned in. "You know we're cops, right? We make our living off of reading in between the lines of peoples' stories. If there's a girl, we will find out."

Lewis just rolled his eyes. "Yes, there's a girl!"

Eddie fist pumped. "I knew it!"

"So, what about her?" asked Spike.

"None of your concern."

"Awww…" said Wordy. "Don't be like that?"

"Team One, you've got another hot one" yelled Winnie.

Cassidy glanced around, and realized that before hang out time would come, they had one more call to conquer.

**And little do they know…I'm sorry, it's slow going right now, but I want to get this plot right. If anyone is familiar with explosives and what makes them go, please drop me a message. And that's your teaser for Chapter 7! **

**Reviews will earn you a virtual chicken wing. **


	7. Chapter 7 Set up Over Chicken Wings

**Hello All! I'm back again! **

**Scratch the whole explosive thing…I changed up the plot when I saw a very similar story come to life. Trying to be original here. **

**Some definite Sules in this chapter! Hopefully it's not super cheesy.**

**Reviews get virtual cupcakes. Which I'm eating right now. Writing requires brain food. **

Cassidy glanced at the clock and sighed. 5 minutes and the Braddock's would be here. She had no idea how she allowed herself to get talked into this. Social stuff was not her thing. As it was, she couldn't convince herself to put on anything more than jeans and a t-shirt.

"_I'm so sorry!" she sobbed._

_She was too late. She was supposed to be there. She had promised. And she was too late._

"Dang it." She hissed, smacking her hairbrush on her mahogany dresser. This was her new life. No memories allowed.

The doorbell startled her away from her thoughts. She grabbed her leather coat, two sizes too big, and ran to the front door.

"Hey." She was greeted by a smiling, pregnant woman. "I'm Jules!"

"Hi Jules, I'm Cassidy. Nice to meet you." Cassidy smiled. She pulled on her Converse and locked the door behind her.

To Cassidy's surprise, Jules didn't try and make small talk. She liked her all the better for it. The two women reached the Braddock's Jeep and climbed in.

"Hey, Cassidy!" Sam called from the front seat.

"Hi Sam," she answered. "How's it going?"

Sam did make small talk, although Jules was able to keep most of it directed at herself. It was almost unnerving, how she was predicting Cassidy's emotions, how she seemed to know what she tried to avoid.

Within twenty minutes, Cassidy found herself seated at a table with three people she barely knew in a public setting. All things she tried to avoid.

The conversation started out lightly, and Cassidy was able to make minimal contributions to it. Then it turned to the SRU's daily report, which Jules listened to intently.

"Do you miss it?" Cassidy asked Jules, nodding to her belly. "The job and all?"

Jules smiled. "All the time. But as Sam loves to remind me," she flashed him a gorgeous smile. "I'm doing more important things right now."

Cassidy leaned back, marvelling at Sam and Jules interaction. She loved him; there was no doubt of that. But it was the way he looked at her that was striking. He wasn't just in love with her.

He was completely and utterly consumed.

Every move she made, every gesture and smile, he watched with pride. And this woman, Jules, was blossoming under his love.

No wonder Sam came to work so relaxed. With a home life like that, who could miss?

She turned her attention to Spike. He was lively tonight. Relaxed, and in his element, likely. Questions of his story, of who he was came to mind. He glanced over at her and smiled. She noted how the smile didn't stop with his face. It reached those perfect chocolate pudding eyes of his.

"So, you're from Alberta, right?" he asked.

She inwardly groaned. Inevitable back story questions. "Yeah, I am."

"Just like I am!" said Jules brightly. "Are you a Flames or Oilers fan?"

"Flames."

"NOOO!" groaned Sam. "Why the Flames?"

Cassidy smirked. "Why? Are you an Oilers fan?"

"Nope. Canucks."

It was Cassidy's turn to groan. "That's even worse!"

Spike shrugged. "I cheer for the Leafs, if it helps."

Sam chuckled. "And look where that gets you, Spiky."

The next ten minutes were spent debating the pros and cons of Western hockey teams, and whether or not the stupid lockout would come to an end anytime soon. It wasn't until Cassidy got up from the table to go to the washroom with Jules that she realized she'd been saved from any possible awkward questions. Again.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or is Michelangelo Scarlatti interested in something that isn't a computer program?"

Spike rolled his eyes, realizing that he had stared after the two women intently. "No way, Sam! Jules is your wife!"

Sam snorted. "Not so fast, Scarlatti. You like her, don't you?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "I barely know her!"

"Which is why society's invented this incredible thing called dating. It's where you get to know this other person. An actual person, Spike! Can you imagine that?"

"Sam…"Spike moaned. This was getting more and more awkward. "It's against the rules. You know that."

Sam chuckled and chomped down on yet another chicken wing. How many was the guy going to consume? "Didn't stop Jules and I."

"And that went just brilliantly, didn't it."

He shrugged. "Look where we are now, Spike."

He couldn't argue with that. Sam and Jules had had one of the rockiest relationships he'd known of, and he hadn't seen half of everything that went on. But the seemed to believe that it was worth it now. Watching them together, it was hard to disagree.

His mind turned back to Cassidy. She was gorgeous, yes. But there were those scars…Not the physical ones. The ones that kept her jaded and unwilling to open up to anybody.

"Did you know that Cassidy's truck is broken down?" Sam asked.

Spike glanced up. What did that have to do with anything? "Yeah, that's why she almost couldn't make it."

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "We brought her here. I wonder what would happen if Jules suddenly felt sick, and had to go home immediately. Someone else would have to give Cassidy a ride home."

Spike nodded, trying to figure out where this was going. Then he saw the huge, mischievous grin on Sam's face and caught on. "No. No way. Don't you dare, Sammy. That's going way too far. I do not need you to play matchmaker for me."

Sam chuckled. "Here come the girls. Tone it down, Michelangelo, and let Cupid do his work."

The girls sat down, and the conversation turned to where everybody had taken their training. Spike watched in helpless dismay as Sam's fingers flew across his phone's keypad. Within ten seconds, he heard Jules' phone buzz. She picked it up and read, a slow smile crossing her face. It was then that Spike knew the truth.

He was screwed.

"Oh…" moaned Jules.

Cassidy glanced over in surprise. "Are you ok?"

'And is it my imagination, or is Spike glaring at you?'

Jules shook her head. "I think the baby had one too many chicken wings. Sam, I've gotta get home."

Sam nodded, but Cassidy couldn't miss the flicker of mischief that crossed his face. 'Dude, your wife is sick! What's so amusing? And why is Spike still glaring at you both?'

"Spike, could you give Cassidy a ride home? We brought her here, and I'd bring her back, but with Jules not feeling well…"

'If looks could kill…' Cassidy observed. "It's alright. Nobody has to give me a ride home. I can get a cab."

"No," Spike said, turning with a cautious smile. "You don't need to do that. I'd be happy to give you a ride home.

Cassidy was surprised, giving the looks he'd been throwing Sam and Jules, but simply nodded.

Ten minutes later, she was doing something that she'd never planned on.

She was seated in Spike's car as he drove her home, making small talk. Talk about something unplanned.

"Thanks for the ride." She said tentatively. Dang, she was bad at this.

"It's my pleasure." Spike replied. "Gorgeous night, eh?"

What was she supposed to say to that? "Yes, it is nice. If it wasn't for all these city lights, we could see the stars."

Spike glanced over. "You like stars?"

She smiled softly. "I adore them. If there's one thing I miss about Alberta, it's the big skies that are filled with stars. So many stars that the night looks more white than black. It's the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"You ever charted them?"

She chuckled. "I tried once, when I was 14. But I didn't have the patience. So I read other people's charts, and just do the watching."

Spike glanced over, an unsure smile touching his face.

"What?" she asked.

"I just think that's really cool, that's all."

Her eyebrows went way up. "You think that's cool."

"I'm a science geek. Not much is uncool when you're one of the nerdiest people on the planet."

That got a real laugh out of her. She was still grinning when he pulled up in front of her condo.

"Thanks for the ride, Spike. I really appreciate it."

He shrugged. "It's not a problem. In fact, if you need a ride to work tomorrow, I'd be happy to pick you up."

She thought about this. She'd planned on taking the bus, but she hated busses and avoided them if at all possible. "Actually, that would be really great."

"I'm going at 6:30. Is that too early for you?"

"Not a bit. Thank you, for everything. See you tomorrow!"

He gave a casual wave, and she fought to walk in a restrained manner as she reached her front door. She closed it behind her and fought the waves of emotion threatening to flood her mind.

He wasn't interested, he was just being nice. That seemed to be his personality. That was it.

And even if he was interested…She wasn't his kind of girl. No matter what he thought, she couldn't be that kind of girl.

Because no matter how much she clung to this new life in Toronto, she still could hear that little scream, pleading with her two years ago in Alberta.


	8. Chapter 8 Cole

**I'm feeling generous, and giving you two chapters in a day! Aren't I awesome? :D **

**Maybe it's a reward for being so wonderfully patient while I focused on exams and papers, and neglected my Flashpoint! **

**Reviews make my day, and earn you a virtual muffin! **

**And just so that CTV's lawyers don't get mad, and show up at my door with a lawsuit notice, I don't own Flashpoint. Wow, what a shocker, right? **

Spike wasn't sure if he was going to thank or kill Sam when he saw him in an hour.

He certainly wasn't going to admit that he was borderline grateful that he'd been given an opportunity by his friend to get to know Cassidy Brooks better. That was a thought better kept to himself.

So here he was, at 25 after 6 on a Thursday morning, knocking on her door.

"Come on in!" He heard her call. "The door's unlocked!"

He stepped in and softly closed the door behind him. Immediately, he surveyed his surroundings. It was a small place, with dark flooring and light cream walls, enhanced by orangey décor. He liked it immediately. It wasn't showy, but it already felt like a home.

Then it caught his eye, on the wall next to a large bookshelf filled with classics.

A picture of Cassidy, a little bit younger, a little bit more innocent. Still the same big grey eyes and brown hair.

With a curly haired boy wrapping his arms around her neck, and a glowing smile to match. A smile that he had just learned to recognize. It was her smile.

A thousand and one thoughts blasted through his mind. She wasn't married, had never mentioned a kid. It could be a brother, couldn't it? That was it. It was probably her little brother.

But another picture, this one on the kitchen counter caught his eye. And this one left no doubt in his mind.

She was standing behind the boy as he sat on a swing, her hands wrapped around the chains. They looked at each other in absolute adoration that was undeniable.

This had to be her son.

Cassidy came running towards the entrance, still trying to ponytail her hair, and slid on the hardwood. "Hey, Spike. Thanks for picking me up! Do you want a muffin or anything?"

He tried to pull his gaze away, but the picture still drew him in. "Nah, I'm good."

She followed his line of vision, and immediately stiffened. He glanced over and smiled. "You didn't say you have a kid."

She shook her head, and Spike was certain now that she had paled. "I don't."

He looked at her in surprise. "He's not yours? I thought-"

She groaned, and leaned against the counter. "He is."

Spike waited for her to offer an explanation, some sort of reason into this conversation, but none came. She simply stared at the picture of the little boy with a deep sorrow. A sorrow that Spike had never seen so raw in her eyes, in the short time that he'd known her.

He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Cass. I didn't mean to say something stupid."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"Listen," he cleared his throat, and again wished he was as smooth with words as Sam or Lew were. "I don't know what your story is, Brooks, and I'm betting that I never will. But…if you ever need to talk about it, if there's every anything you want to talk about…I'm here. I'll listen. I'm not the greatest guy to have a conversation with, but I promise, I won't judge you."

She smiled at him sadly and nodded. Spike decided right there that she would never tell him the truth behind those pictures. And, for her sake, he dropped it.

The pair rode together in silence, not even bothering to make small talk. Spike stared at the road, trying not to make her uncomfortable and knowing that he was failing miserably.

They reached the SRU building and still sat in silence. Spike glanced over, and saw, to his surprise, that streams of liquid curved down her face.

"Cass?" He said tentatively. Again, he wished that Sam was there. He was so much better with women than Spike was.

"His name is Cole."

"What?" Spike wrinkled his brow.

She turned to him, and he found himself caught in her eyes. "The little boy in the picture. His name is Cole."

With that, she rubbed the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her face, and got out of his car. Spike watched her go, and for the first time in his life, he had absolutely no idea of what to do.

**Short chapter, I know…But we're getting to finally see something of Cassidy. So is Spike right, is the little guy her son? Or is there another catch? I know the truth, and you will too when I update again! Hoping this story isn't turning into the Swiss Cheese Festival on me…~T.J. Elise**


	9. Chapter 9 Farfallina

**Chapter 9, where we begin to understand Cassidy, where she starts to unknowingly open up to Spike.**

**Reviews make my day! :D**

**I don't own Flashpoint **

**I also don't own the Italian song, **_**Farfallina**_**, or Butterfly, as is translated into English. I'll put the English lyrics at the end, but Spike simply sings them in Italian. **

**Praying this isn't New York Cheesecake…**

Spike strode into the SRU building, glancing around to see if Cassidy was there. She'd been avoiding him for the last three weeks. To tell the truth, he'd been avoiding her, too. He wasn't stupid, despite Lew's joking. He could tell that he was getting too close for her comfort, too close to knowing who she was.

"Spike." Greg leaned against the counter, looking concerned.

"Yeah Sarge?" Spike stopped his mad dash for the weight room and turned his attention to his boss.

"Have you heard anything from Cassidy?"

Spike raised his eyebrows. "Um, no. Why?"

Greg shook his head. "She was supposed to be in at 6 this morning for her evaluation, just to see how she's settling into the job. But it's," he checked his watch. "8:15 now, and she's still not in. She hasn't called or anything. And that's not like her."

Greg was right. In the short time he'd known her, one thing was incredibly obvious to Spike. She was serious about her job, really serious. There was no way she'd purposely miss a meeting with Greg unless something was wrong.

"I want you to go check it out. You know where she lives, right?"

Spike nodded. "I've driven her around a couple times."

"Good. Go see if she's ok."

Spike winced at the thought of having to show up at her door and check on her, but he also couldn't exactly refuse Greg, since he'd then have to explain what was going on between them.

He wrestled with how exactly he was going to talk to her when he got there, without her chasing him off with a metaphorical shotgun.

He was so the wrong person for this.

This thought resonated with the Italian as he stood at her white front door, trying to build up the courage to knock. He finally sighed and simply rang the doorbell.

"Go away!" he heard her shout. He noticed that her words were slurring, not as sharp as they normally were. She sounded...

'What the heck?' he thought. 'Who gets drunk at quarter to 9 in the morning?'

"Cassidy?" he called tentatively. "It's Spike. Are you ok?"

He heard a low curse and the clinking of bottles. He ran his hand through his thick blonde hair and sighed. How had Greg figured this would be a good idea?

"Cass?" He said gently, but loud enough so that she could hear."Can you open the door?"

There was no answer.

Spike was getting worried, now. What if she had passed out in a state of overdose? Or had hit her head on the counter while stumbling around? Assuming she was drunk, of course. Which seemed pretty obvious at this point.

He glanced at her door. Typical older lock, which made him smirk. People never took into account that anyone with a little know-how could break into these things. As long as she didn't dead bolt her door or anything…

He returned with a hammer from the toolkit that he always kept in the back of his car. 'Sorry about this,' he thought. 'I'll buy you a new lock.'

He smacked it down on the old brass knob, which popped off easily. Then he removed the rest of the mechanism and swung the door open.

Spike slowly peered around the corner of her entrance. What he saw made him sick.

Cassidy was passed out on the couch, snoring off what he assumed was a bad hangover. At least a half pack of beer, a bottle of whiskey, and a whole bunch of tequila had been consumed. She looked pale, neglected, and downright drunk. The smell of liquor in the room was overwhelming.

But beyond the alcohol and the passed out woman, Spike saw something else. She had her arms wrapped around a little teddy bear. It was ratty, and one of the ears was missing, but she clung to it. As if she would never let go.

Since when did the tough little cop sleep with a teddy bear?

A large box in the corner caught Spike's eye. He glanced over at Cassidy, and content that she was completely passed out, stepped over to it. He lifted the flaps, not exactly sure what to expect.

He definitely wasn't expecting to find a miniature Brett Lawrie Blue Jays' jersey.

Nor was he expecting to find a small baseball glove, or a picture of Cassidy and the little boy at a baseball game. Cole was in it, and was holding up a baseball with a huge smile, while Cassidy beamed behind him.

More pictures. Of birthdays and Little League Baseball Games, of Christmastime and carnivals. Hundreds of pictures. A couple small sweaters, and a pair of matching Dallas Cowboys' hats.

Spike reached down to the bottom of the box, seeing if there was anything under the toys and baseball cards that occupied the rest of the space. He wasn't sure what he expected to find.

'A newspaper?' thought Spike, as he pulled it out from beneath a replica of Lightning McQueen. 'What's a newspaper doing in here?'

He flipped it open, and the front headline made his heart stop.

"Boy, 4, killed by former gang member."

The date confirmed what his heart knew. The paper was published on May 16th. Today's date.

He put the paper down, and turned to look at her. She was still passed out.

Spike stared at the headline again. He had a feeling that he could find a lot of answers within that article, a lot of answers that Cassidy wasn't prepared to give him.

He put the paper back in the bottom of the box, slowly and carefully putting the toys in their place on top of it. Then the sweaters and hats, and the boxes of pictures, and finally, the baseball memorabilia.

He sat beside her on the couch, and gently brushed a damp curl from her face. If she wanted to tell him her story, she would. It wasn't his place to try and force his way into her life.

She whimpered at his touch, and he pulled back immediately. Her eyes fluttered open, reminding him of butterfly wings.

"Spike?" she whispered.

"Hey." He tried to give her what he hoped was an easy smile.

"What're you doing here?"

Spike gently touched her shoulder. "You didn't show up for your meeting with the boss. He got worried."

She tried to sit up, and immediately fell back. "Ohhhh…"

Spike chuckled. "Yeah, about that. You might want to take it easy. You're lucky you don't have alcohol poisoning right now."

She looked towards her entrance. "How'd you get in?"

"Um, yeah. Let's just say I owe you a new lock." He stared at her. Dang, she was beautiful. "Is it something with Cole?"

Immediately, she winced. And then, of all things, she started to cry. "It was my fault Spike. It was all my fault."

Spike Scarlatti was a man who was incredibly calm under pressure. Give him a bomb, and he could diffuse it. He would face a terrorist holding an automatic rifle with coolness that gave Captain America the chills. But a crying woman?

Not so cool.

Suddenly, she stood up and stumbled over to the sink. Spike winced at the retching as she emptied the contents of her stomach down the drain.

Then she crumbled to the floor in another sobbing fit, leaving Spike flabbergasted. Now what?

He walked over to the kitchen and knelt down to the floor. Slowly, unsure, he wrapped his arms around her,, cradling her against his chest. No words came, so instead he started to sing. The only thing that came to his mind was an old Italian song he sang growing up.

"_Farfallina  
>Bella e bianca<br>vola vola  
>mai si stanca<br>gira qua  
>e gira la<br>poi si resta sopra un fiore  
>e poi si resta spora un fiore.<em>

_Ecco ecco_  
><em>a trovata<em>  
><em>bianca e rosa<em>  
><em>colorata<em>  
><em>gira qua<em>  
><em>e gira la<em>  
><em>poi si resta sopra un fiore<em>  
><em>e poi si resta spora un fiore."<em>

He rocked her gently, and realized that the trembling had ceased. He pulled away a little bit, and realized that she was sleeping. A smile traced his lips.

He gently slipped his hand beneath her knees and lifted her up. She was lighter than he'd imagined. He checked the doors down the hallway until he found her bedroom. Spike placed her on the bed, pulling the nearby blue fleece blanket over her shoulders. On a whim, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep well, my _farfallina._" He whispered.

Spike walked over to the nearby office chair and sat, watching the soft rise and fall of her chest. He texted Greg to let him know that he wouldn't be back today.

No, he would be here. And when she woke up, he would be right beside her, ready to help his wounded butterfly face a world that had somehow broken her wings.

**English translation of **_**Farfallina**_**:**

**Butterfly  
>Beautiful and white<br>Fly and fly  
>Never get tired<br>Turn here  
>And turn there<br>And she rests upon a flower  
>And she rests upon a flower.<strong>

**Here, here,**  
><strong>I have found her<strong>  
><strong>White and red<strong>  
><strong>Colored<strong>  
><strong>Turn here<strong>  
><strong>And turn there<strong>  
><strong>And she rests upon a flower<strong>  
><strong>And she rests upon a flower.<strong>

**Thank you to for providing the lyrics! **

**So, what do you think? Was it a cheese fest? I actually like it better than I thought I would…What about you?**


	10. Chapter 10 Baseball and Winnie the Pooh

**And the plot thickens! **

**This chapter is very slightly based off a pair of Taylor Swift Songs, Ronan and 15. Neither of which I own. I also do not own Winnie the Pooh or Flashpoint.**

**Reviews get you macaroni and cheese, virtual of course! Oh the well balanced diet of a college student!**

Cassidy stared at the roof, her senses coming back far too quickly. The pounding of her head confirmed what she already knew.

Major hangover.

What she wasn't expecting to see when she rolled over was Spike Scarlatti sitting in her office chair.

"Holy shh-" She'd overestimated her body's recovery to the massive amount of alcohol she'd consumed, and promptly fell off the bed.

Spike startled awake and gave her a shy grin. "You woke up."

She rubbed her head and stared at him. "What're you doing in my house?"

"I thought we had this conversation."

Cassidy furrowed her brow. "We did? Spike, how did you get in?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I broke your doorknob. You really need to get better locks, you know."

She fought to stay patient. "Why did you break into my house?"

"You didn't show up to work. We got worried."

She grabbed her watch off her dresser. "What? What time-HOLY CRAP!"

Spike chuckled. "We'll call this one a sick day, I guess."

Cassidy shook her head. "Spike, I get that you came to check on me. But why are you still here?"

"I was worried." Spike ran his fingers through his hair, an obvious sign that he was nervous. He did that every single time he was uncomfortable. "You were really upset."

"I was?"

He nodded. "You kept crying that it was your fault. I'm still trying to figure out what that means…Is it Cole?"

That name was like a dagger, every time she heard it. When she'd first chosen it, it had had such a sweet, strong sound to it. Now, it just felt like pain. "How do you know about him?"

"I saw the paper…" He sighed. "He was killed by an ex-gangster, right?"

Cassidy nodded, trying to ignore the tears pooling in her eyes. "Two years ago."

"And he was your son?" Spike prodded gently, picking up yet another picture of the two of them, this one lying on her dresser.

"Yeah." She sighed. "He was the best thing that ever happened to me. I know that sounds so cliché, but with Cole, it was true."

Spike got up off the chair and sat beside her on the floor, leaning his back against her bed. She stared straight ahead and sighed. "Spike, do you remember being 15?"

"Sure…"

She shook her head. "Do you remember how insecure you were?"

Spike nodded. "It's that awkward stage between being no longer a child, but not yet an adult. It sucks."

"When I was 15, I was so awkwardly insecure. I wanted to believe in true love. I mean, what girl doesn't? So when the first guy came along…I was so sure that I was in love, Spike. He said he loved me, and I believed him. I was so naïve, but I believed every word he said. And so when the time came, and he told me what he wanted…"

A sob tore through her throat, and Spike immediately had his arm around her shoulders. "Shh, it's ok. You don't have to talk about this."

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

'And you deserve to know the truth.' The thought tore through her mind. Everything that she had so carefully guarded, everything that she ran from...She was running back. Because of this man, who, for some reason, had taken an interest in her. He needed to know her, so that he could run the other direction and move on.

"I slept with him. And two days later, I found him making out with my best friend. Love, right?" She gave a short, humorless laugh. "Not only had I just been humiliated as a woman, but three weeks later I took a pregnancy test."

"Cole?" guessed Spike.

Cassidy nodded. "Except, I was a pastor's girl. Can you imagine the scandal when I found myself pregnant? My Dad was furious…He said that I had to give the baby up. Which made sense, I guess. But I don't know, Spike. I felt that somehow, that life inside of me was there for a reason. That there was a reason that I had to keep that kid. And I did."

"And your Dad?" ventured Spike, shifting his legs slightly and settling back in beside her.

"Furious." She smiled sadly, her soft coils of hair sticking to her damp cheeks. "I'd heard him preach forgiveness, so many times. And that whole church talk about how important it was to welcome people in and care for them." She snorted. "Bunch of hypocrites they were. I didn't have to have a Scarlett A stitched on my dress. The bump of my stomach was enough."

"But you kept him?"

"I had no choice." Cassidy shook her head. "I'd never felt so alone in my entire life, Spike. But with Cole, I wasn't so lonely."

She reached over and pulled the blue picture frame off her dresser and traced the little boy's face. "He was my angel. From the moment he was born, Spike, he was my savior. All of a sudden, I'm wasn't just the teen mom. I was his mom."

"He had these big blue eyes, little blueberries. We were best friends. He loved the Blue Jays." She gave a real laugh this time. Sad, but real. "I remember one time I was taking a bath and he was watching the game on TV. I still remember him hearing him screaming at the umpire, threatening to come over there and deal with him himself. He sounded just like me. He was going to play baseball. A third baseman, just like Brett Lawrie. He was good, too. We would spend hours playing catch and fielding grounders."

She rubbed a smear off the glass with the corner of her sweater and glanced over at Spike. He seemed to be just letting her talk, no sign of anger or shock. That would come, though, as she kept talking. She knew that.

"I used to watch this Winnie the Pooh episode with him. And Christopher Robin would tell him that 'If there's ever a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the important thing is, even if we're apart…I'll always be with you.' We watched that episode so many times. And one day while we were watching a baseball game together, he turned to me and quoted it. I thought it was because he'd seen it so many times…"

She gave a loud sniff. "Two days later I lost him."

Spike stared at her. "How'd it happen?"

She stared at the hardwood floor in misery. "I was finally ready to try for love again. So I started going out with this guy I met at the gym. His name was Blake, and he seemed really nice. We dated for a couple months, and he started to take an interest in Cole." She sighed. "I always felt so bad, for not being able to give him the attention he craved. He always loved having men in his life. He was always looking for that Dad figure. And I could never give it to him. So when Blake came along…Cole had never been happier. I thought everything was perfect. All of a sudden, I'm dreaming of a wedding again, of Cole walking me down the aisle and actually having a Dad in his life. And all of a sudden, that one place of your heart that you vow no one's ever going to see open's up, and all of a sudden you're living again."

"What I didn't know was that Blake was using me. He was doing his job. Can you imagine that, Spike? He worked for a gang, and he was doing his job by getting me to fall in love with him. So that he could get to know my house, figure out where I kept my valuables and bank cards, rip me off, and walk away. But it didn't work that way."

Spike pulled her closer, and this time she didn't resist, but rather leaned in, drawing the strength while she could for what came next. "I lived on this little acreage at the time. My dad was renting it for Cole and I. Blake came over, and we took our quads out for a drive. His buddy, who I'd met a couple times, came over and said that Blake had asked him to watch Cole, so that he could take me out. And here I am, thinking, 'How romantic is this?' So of course I say yes, and we go out. We drove down to this creek that I'd taken him to a couple of times, and sat down by the river bank. It was ten minutes later that I heard Cole scream."

"He was screaming for me, from that far away, I could hear him scream. So I get up and run over to my quad, but who do you think stops me?"

Spike winced. "Blake."

She nodded. "It was then I knew that something was really wrong. I slugged him pretty good, but not well enough, I guess. I got onto my quad and started tearing towards the house. But he got on his behind me and ran me off the road. I was 700 feet away when he pushed my quad into the ditch. I couldn't brake in time, and I hit the barb wire fence."

Spike sat up like a shot. "You hit the fence?"

"Yeah." She pulled up the sleeves of her blue sweater and showed him her inner arms, full of jagged scars. "That's how I got these things."

"I pulled myself off that fence. My little boy was still screaming for me. And I couldn't get there in time. It was when I heard the shot that I knew."

She started to cry, her sobs hard and choppy. "I couldn't get there in time, Spike. Cole needed me, and I wasn't there. He tried to protect the house, to be the man, and they shot him for it. He was four years old, Spike! Four years old! They didn't need to do that. But they did, and oh god, I hate him for it. GOD, I hate him!"

"I ran through the back door as they were leaving through the front. And my son, my best friend, lay bleeding on my kitchen floor. There was so much blood…I couldn't save him, Spike. I couldn't protect him in the first place, and I couldn't save his life." She put her head down into her knees and sobbed. Her muffled voice came through. "That kid was my best four years."

She put her head down and sobbed, the hardest she had since that day when Cole had died in her arms. Every moment of pain, regret, and anger flowed out like a cascading river. She was semi-conscious of Spike's arms around her, his voice trying to soothe her.

She sat up and looked at him, for a moment losing herself in his deep brown eyes. "It wasn't your fault." He whispered.

"Yeah," she snorted. "Yeah, it was. Spike, I was supposed to be his Mom. But I wasn't there. I wasn't smart enough to see the danger I threw him directly into. If I had been there, I could've protected him. But I wasn't."

Spike shook his head. "You can't blame yourself for that! You had no idea!"

"But I couldn't even love him enough to give him up. I was so selfish, Spike. I kept him for myself. If I had given him up, put him up for my adoption like my Dad said…He'd still be alive, somewhere."

Spike shook his head and took her hands into his. "Cass, you can't live like that. You can't live in what might have been with a different choice. It doesn't work that way. For all we know, he could've been killed in a car crash, or by leukemia, or who knows the heck what!"

He paused, and took a deep breath. "You said that he was your best four years…I have a feeling that you were his."

She stared at the floor, tears streaming down her face. "I miss him so much."

"I know," Spike whispered, pulling her into his chest. She buried her face, her body trembling. "I know. But you know what?"

She looked up at him, big grey eyes wet with emotion. He traced away a tear from her smooth cheek. She trembled at the warm touch. No matter what she had believed, he was still here. He was still sitting beside her, holding her. And that meant more than he would ever know.

"Cole was smarter than even he knew. He knew his Mom well. Because you are braver, stronger, and smarter than you know. You're here, taking down the bad guys and doing what you know is right. That takes guts. And I think that he was right, that he'll always be with you. Because you two loved each other, I can see that. And my Dad used to say that when you love someone, no matter what happens, you can never really lose them. That's what you've got to believe."

They stared at each other for a moment, suddenly conscious of the closeness between themselves.

"Spike…" she whispered.

He stood up. "Come on." He offered her his callused hand, and she took it tentatively.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see…" he said with a small smile. "I hope you like Italian cooking."


	11. Chapter 11 Uno

**Ugh...college is so inconvenient. :p Sorry my update's taken this long. Will you forgive me? I hope so, because here's my new chapter!**

**Just to clarify, I don't own Flashpoint. I've tried, trust me:**

**(On the phone with CTV) Me: "Sooo...can I own Flashpoint?"**

**Olga, the lady at CTV: "No."**

**Me: "Pleeeasse? Can I own Flashpoint?"**

**Olga: "Don't you have exams to write?"**

**Me: "Don't remind me...Can I please own Flashpoint? Pretty please?"**

**Olga: (Hangs up)**

**Me: "CURSE YOU LEGALITIES THAT KEEP ME FROM OWNING FLASHPOINT!"**

**Needless to say, I don't own Flashpoint.**

Cassidy glanced over at Spike curiously, sitting nestled in the passenger seat of his car. "Where we going, Spike?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "I'm not telling you until we get there! You're so...female. You have to know everything."

She giggled. "Well, excuse me. I'd like to know where you're taking me!"

He sighed. "We're going to my place. My Mom's cooking tonight, and nothing fixes a bad day, or a hangover for that matter, than her homemade fettuccine alfredo and focaccia bread. I figured since you had a bad day and a hangover..." He shrugged. "A home cooked Italian meal was in order."

Spike glanced over and saw Cassidy giving him a curious stare. "What?"

"I thought you said we were going to your place."

Spike had no idea where this was going. "We are..."

"And your Mom's cooking?"

That's where it was going. Spike fought the heat rising to his cheeks. Most girls couldn't get their heads around his living arrangements. This was to be expected. "I live with my parents." He smiled at her. "Go ahead. Laugh."

"I'm not laughing. That's cool."

"It's cool." Spike said with disbelief. "You think it's cool?"

"Sure!" She flipped her long braid over her shoulder. "Why not? You have a good enough of a relationship with your parents to still be living with them. That's cool."

"Uh-huh." Spike was at a loss for what to say to that.

They pulled up in front of the small house that Spike and his parents shared. He grinned. "Don't let my Pop intimidate you, ok? And humor my Mom...she gets...excited when I bring girls over."

"Doesn't happen that often?" she said with a smirk.

"Not often enough for her." Spike sighed.

He walked up to the front door, and attempted to swing the door open, nearly jamming his wrist as the lock stopped his efforts.

"Shoot." He hissed. He reached into his baggy pockets and pulled out a set of keys. "Weird. She doesn't usually lock it if she knows I'm coming home for supper."

He fiddled with the lock and _then_ swung open the door, the warm smell of Italian pasta surrounding his senses.

"Yum." He heard Cassidy whisper. A smile crept over his lips again. Score two for Scarlatti.

"Mom? Pop?" He walked into the warmly lit, deep orange walled kitchen and pulled a note off the stainless steel refrigerator. A huge grin escaped this time. He doubted this could have turned out more perfectly.

"What is it?" He turned and saw Cassidy, cute as ever, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen entrance.

He glanced down at the note. "My parents went to the Forelli's for the night...They're an Italian couple that live about 10 minutes away. Supper's in the oven, just heat for ten minutes...Looks like we have the place to ourselves."

Cassidy eyed him carefully. "Well, that's not the slightest bit convenient."

Spike threw up his hands in immediate defense. "I swear, I did not plan this."

"Spike!" she laughed. "Chill!"

He saw her smile, and immediately relaxed. "I'll warm up the food. You wanna grab an extra plate from the cupboard over the oven?"

Shortly, they found themselves sitting across from each other at the dark wood kitchen table, indulging in the creamy pasta and warm, moist parmesan bread. Conversation was kept to a minimum, and Spike wondered at the comfortable silence between them. Where did that come from?

He finished shortly before she did, and clinked his fork down, leaning back on the wooden chair with a contented sigh. "I swear, that gets better every time."

She scooped the last of her pasta into her mouth and smiled. "Your Mom is amazing, Spike." She looked longingly at the last chunk of focaccia bread on the plate. Spike grinned and pushed the plate towards her. "I've lived on instant noodles for who knows how long...But this? Heaven on a plate."

Spike laughed. "I'm surprised I'm not 400 pounds, living like this. I have to watch myself, otherwise I'd be outweighing Greg pretty quickly."

She insisted on helping them wash the dishes, which quickly resulted in a bubble war.(He started it, and was proud of it.) Then they had to clean the floors off, since Spike knew that the mounds of bubbles on his Mom's clean floors would not go over well.

Cassidy leaned back on the cupboard and sighed. "Spike?"

"Hmm?" He glanced over his shoulder from where he was drying off the last of the hardwood.

"Thanks."

He sat back on his heels and grinned. "Anytime." The wheels in his head began to spin. "You know, the night's still young..."

"Oh?" She cocked her eyebrow carefully. "And what does that mean?"

"That means that there's still time for an Uno championship."

She burst out laughing. "Yes! I accept!"

"Ah," Spike allowed his inner nerd to rear its head in the moment. "But not just any Uno championship. You know why?"

She grinned indulgently, loving every second of this. "Why?"

"Because..." he stood up with a flourish, and put on his announcer's voice. "Because, ladies and gentlemen, it's not just any Uno...It's the electronic, the throw three million cards in your face, the revolutionary...UNO EXTREME!"

Cassidy was near hysterical now. "Then I definitely have to accept." She said between giggles.

Spike ran upstairs to grab it, and they ended up back at the kitchen table, playing the infinite amount of Uno games that can only be achieved in a championship round. Spike at one point stood up to dish them out some ice cream, but other than that, they stayed focused on the game.

And then it came down to the moment. It was the final round, round 37. The round that decided all rounds.

Spike stared at Cassidy intensely. He was so close to going out, having a "Lay down all your green cards" card that he planned to lay down with all the remaining greens that he had saved for this moment. He could smell the victory.

It was when she smirked that he knew he was screwed. In their previous 36 rounds of Uno, he'd realized that she had no poker face, and smirked when she was about to go out.

She skipped his turn in green, skipped his turn in yellow, reversed it back to herself in yellow, and then laid down her change the color card that made him press the button twice. And she was out.

"Nooooo!" Spike cried, slamming down his cards. "I was so close! So close!"

"Not close enough, Scarlatti." She laughed.

"No. No, no, no. You cheated. I don't know how you did it, but you cheated somehow. Maybe tampered with the deck."

"You dealt!"

Shoot, she had him there too. "I don't know how you cheated! But you did! I am the Uno champion! No one beats me!"

"I just did!" She was laughing so hard that she was hiccupping, which was actually really cute. Not that he'd admit that.

"Only because you cheated!"

"I didn't cheat!"

"Did too!"

"Give it up, Scarlatti. You lost."

"Unfairly! I even tampered-"

He immediately stopped talking before he gave anything away, but it was too late. She caught on right away.

"You tampered with what?"

"Nothing?"

She was laughing really, really hard now. "You cheated and you still lost!"

"We both cheated!"

"I didn't cheat, and if I had, then we still would be even. So I still won!"

"Nooo..."Spike slammed his cards down on the table, causing the ice cream dishes to rattle. He knew when he was beat. He was about to say something, but her wide eyed expression caught his attention. She was staring in surprised at something behind him. He turned, and immediately wished he hadn't.

Because his parents were standing in the doorway, looking completely and utterly shocked.

Shoot.

**I've been so depressing lately...I had to lighten it up! And of course, stir up a little bit of trouble for our heroes.**

**So what're Spike's parents going to think about their son's new friend? And when are Spike and Cassidy going to figure out that they're more than friends? And when are they going to tell Team One? How's that going to go? Is TOTH involved? (Ba-ba-bum)** **So many questions that would be answered if only I could get my fingers to move as fast as my thoughts. Stay tuned! **

**So what did you think? Please review! I need something virtual to give out for reviews...Tell you what, review, and take whatever you want. It's on me. **

**Yes, in case you were wondering, I am sleep deprived. No need to point it out. I'll stop talking now!**

**Or...eventually. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12 Parents

**I know, I'm mean. I've made you wait way too long for this chapter...But I did bring you it! I am not abandoning this story...it will get done, I promise! **

**So what should I name Sam and Jules' baby? Should it be a boy or a girl? Let me know what you think! If I use your suggestion, I'll give you a shout-out.**

**Now you obviously didn't come here to listen to me ramble. So, enjoy this next chapter! I think we both know I don't own anything. Reviews make me happy!**

"Michelangelo?" his Mom asked hesitantly. Spike gave her a mental handshake for breaking the very awkward silence that had ensued.

"Uh, Mom, Pops, this is Cassidy. A friend from work."

His Mom gazed at him. She glanced back at Cassidy, and then broke into a huge smile. Spike inwardly sighed. He knew that smile. That was the "You're young, pretty, and female, and you're spending time with my son, so when can I plan for the wedding?" smile. In his mother's mind, seeing him with a nice, pretty girl carried as much weight as an engagement ring. He would never hear the end about the girl from work. Which was either annoying, or totally convenient. It could go either way.

"Cassidy, I am so happy to meet you. Michelangelo, you should have told me you were bringing a friend!" She shook her finger in his direction.

There was that smile again.

"I'm Lucia, but you call me Mama." She shook Cassidy's hand gently. Then she turned and motioned Spike's father in, who looked just about as surprised at his Mom as Cassidy did. Spike shot her a small smirk.

"Told you so." he mouthed. She just bit back a small smile threatening to sneak out.

"Dominic, come and meet Spike's friend." His Mom's voice was firm. Spike had to hide another smirk as his Mom grasped his Pop's forearm and firmly led him over to where Cassidy was now standing.

"Nice to meet you sir." Cassidy said as his Pop held his hand out. Ah, there it was. Some of the confidence, that kick-butt attitude that she'd had when he first met her, was returning. Cassidy stood up straight and shook Dominic's hand firmly.

"You work with Michelangelo?" he asked. Spike could mentally see his father sizing her up, trying to figure out who she was and what she was doing with his son.

"Yep. Team One."

The funny thing was that as his Pop was sizing her up, Spike could see Cassidy sizing him up right back. That was a new one. The last girl he'd brought home, Lindsey, had kind of shrank down from his Pop. Not that he had blamed her. When he wanted to be, Pops was downright scary. Spike wondered if Italians were just naturally intimidating, or if it was something you had to practice to get right. If it was the latter, he figured his Pop must have spent a lot of time practicing.

But he was starting to get the feeling that not much scared Cassidy. Which would make it so much easier to bring her back to his place again.

Spike caught and mentally slapped himself. He was as bad as his mother. She wasn't interested in him, and he wasn't interested in her. Ok, maybe he was just a little bit interested, but that was beside the point. The point was that she'd had a crap day, and he had brought her back to his place because he was being a good friend. That was all he was, and all he would be. He had no plans to pull a Braddock-Callaghan move and start dating a co-worker. The idea had no appeal, whatsoever.

He made a mental note to never be the one to lie to a gunman.

He caught his Pop's gaze, and smiled the best he could, hoping for some kind of approval or something. His Pop just raised his eyebrows and sighed. With that, he gave a small grunt and walked out of the room. Spike heard conversation coming from the living room and realized that his Pop had turned on the TV.

"And that's the closest thing you'll get to approval." sighed Spike.

"Michelangelo..." his Mom said warningly. Spike gave a goofy shrug in her direction, and then glanced at the clock.

"Shi-" His Mom's glare cut the word short. "Shoot."

Cassidy glanced over at the clock and laughed at what she saw. "2 AM on a work night."

"Aren't we dedicated employees?" Spike laughed. "Guess I need to get you home."

Cassidy nodded and grabbed her coat off the rack by the door. "The dinner was amazing, Mrs. Scarlatti." she said to his Mom.

She smiled and grabbed Cassidy's hand. "It's Mama, my dear. And you are welcome any time. In fact-"

She glanced over at Spike and gave him that smile again. Wow, was he screwed.

"You should come on Friday. Michelangelo can bring you. I will make my special lasagna, and you can have dinner with all of us."

To Spike's surprise, Cassidy smiled broadly. "I'd absolutely love that, um...Mama."

Spike had a feeling that if he and Cassidy weren't standing there, his Mom would be breaking out into a happy dance. "Then I will see you on Friday, my dear."

Spike raised his eyebrows at his Mom as he let Cassidy out the door. She shooed her hands at him, and nodded after Cassidy with a smile.

His Mom liked her. He just couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He climbed into his side of the car, and saw her grinning at him.

What could he do? He grinned back. "That went better than I thought."

She started laughing. "I thought we were screwed when they walked in there...You weren't kidding about your Dad."

Spike sighed and started the car. "You weren't intimidated by him, though."

She gave an unladylike snort, which Spike found really cute. Again, not something he'd ever admit. "Yeah right."

He took his eyes off the road for a second. "You didn't look intimidated."

"Dude, you're SRU. You know that you don't show fear until the situation's under control. Then you can freak out."

"Are you comparing meeting my family to an SRU call?"

"Maybe." She smirked at him.

Within a couple minutes, they reached her house. She sighed and smiled at him. "Thanks for the great night, Spike. It was a lot of fun."

He leaned back and studied her face, softened by the light of the nearby street lamp. "You'll be okay?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'll be good."

He glanced at her driveway. "Your truck still in the shop?"

"Yeah, why?"

He grinned. "I'll pick you up before 6:30?"

She laughed. "Should I have coffee on?"

"Considering the hours we're pulling, yeah. Coffee would probably be good."

She shook her head and opened the passenger door. "If I'm falling asleep at the range tomorrow, I blame you completely Scarlatti."

As he was driving home, he couldn't figure out why he was so freaking proud of that.

**Sorry it's moving so slow at this point...It's going to start moving along now, though, so don't worry. And please don't make me beg for reviews!**


	13. Chapter 13 Hot call

**I felt bad for making you guys (Those of you who actually take the time to read my ramblings!) wait so long for a new chapter, that I figured I'd give you my second one. Again, if you have an idea on the name and gender of Sam and Jules' baby, I'd love to hear it! **

**Reviews make me wanna dance like Gangnum Style. :D **

**And if you haven't gotten the point, I don't own Flashpoint.**

Spike grunted as he pushed the weight bar up for one last rep. He rested it on the stand and let out a short gasp of breath. He sat up and ran a towel over his face, realizing that Sam was smirking at him.

"What's your problem?" he asked, confused.

"Nothing." Sam said as innocently as possible.

Spike stared at him and just shook his head. "Seriously, man. What's your problem?"

"You owe me."

Spike snorted. "Owe you what? A kick in the shins? I'd be happy to repay."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I don't know, maybe you owe me for setting you up with a very fine female officer on Team One?"

If looks could kill, Sam was already 10 feet underground.

"It's going that well?" Sam asked, really smirking now.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Spike said, walking away from the weights and hoping that Sam wouldn't follow.

"It's going really well, then!" Sam laughed.

Spike sat down on the bench and sighed. "Yes, it's going well."

"On a scale of dinner at McDonald's well to dinner at your parents well?"

"She already met my parents."

Sam's expression would've won America's Funniest Home Videos. "And it's going well?"

"Yep."

"She met your parents. Like, Mama and Poppa Scarlatti?"

"Yes, she met my parents Sam. What's your point?"

Sam laughed. "Dude, if a girl meets your parents, and still sticks around, she's a keeper. If it's still going well, then she's beyond a keeper. She's a go get an engagement ring cause you don't want this one to get away kind of keeper."

"Team One!" called Winnie. "We've got a hot call!"

Spike shot off the bench and ran to gear up. He glanced over at Cassidy, and saw her pulling her vest on. He began to realize what Sam and Jules had gone through when Jules was still running with the team. What Jules still dealt with Sam on the team.

You were sending the person you cared about into the heat of some sort of battle, be it physical or emotional. And you couldn't protect them.

Spike wasn't exactly devout, but he muttered a quick prayer to keep the both of them safe, to let them have another meal with his parents, and to let him actually take her out for a game of laser tag. The last dinner had gone better than even he expected. Apparently, both Cassidy and his Dad were baseball fans. It gave them some sort of a common point.

"Guys!" Greg called. "Listen up. We've got an unidentified shooter, possibly two. At least three hostages. Possible civilian down. Be careful going in there! Spike, I need surveillance. Westminster Financial building."

"Got it boss!" Spike called.

"Ed's Sierra one. Sam? You're two. Stay sharp out there people. We don't know anything about these guys."

"Do we have names?" Lewis asked.

"We have nothing." Greg said. Spike caught the frustration in his voice. It was way worse to wade into a hostage situation without knowing anything on your subject than to have even a name. A name could make the difference of connecting with the subject and having to take a lethal shot.

"Cass and Ed, you're together. Wordy, cover Sam. Lew's with me."

In the months that Cassidy had been with the SRU, she and Ed had managed to build a respect towards each other. Surprisingly, at least considering their initial encounter, they worked well together. Spike knew that Ed would have her back, but still, he couldn't help but worry.

Cassidy jumped out of Greg's jeep and shot him a grin. He mouthed "Be careful" to her and then turned his attention to the monitors he was setting up in front of him.

She turned to Ed, who nodded at the surveillance cameras attached to the tall financial building. "You in those Spike?"

Spike finished coding the password locking the cameras to the public. "All mine."

"I don't like it." Sam said. "This thing's practically the glass castle. There's next to nothing for cover, boss."

"Back door?" Cassidy asked Ed.

"Not completely covered." He observed. "But it'll do. Let's go."

The pair crept into the building, guns at the ready. Ed nodded to the staircase leading to the main level, and Cassidy crept up, watching the corners for any signs of movement. "We're good, Ed."

"We're in, boss." Ed whispered.

Cassidy kept her eyes trained at the narrow hallway leading down to the large, open main room that made up the core of the bank. "Down there?" she mouthed to Ed.

He shook his head. "Wordy, Sam, where are you?"

"Trying to get in through the side." Sam's voice came through the earpiece.

"How long?" Ed asked.

"Give me a minute."

Ed and Cassidy stayed frozen, hearing the occasional grunt through their earpiece.

"We're in, guys." Wordy said.

"Can we pin these guys?" she asked.

"I can hear them...center of the bank."

"Where we figured." sighed Ed. "Sam, can you get to a Sierra point?"

"Working on it." said Sam. "It's wide open, here."

"Take is easy, guys." said Greg. "No unnecessary stunts, here. I need you guys functional."

"In Sierra position." Sam said.

"Wordy, cover Cassidy. I'm moving to Sierra. Count of three. 1-2-3."

Cassidy charged down the stairs, aiming her gun at the two Asian men standing in the center of the room. "SRU! Guns down, now!"

Wordy charged in the other side and held his gun ready. "Put 'em down, boys."

One of the men grabbed a blond woman sitting on the floor, and held the gun to her head firmly. "Back it off, right now. I'll shoot her."

"Stand down, back it up. Cass, get him talking." Greg ordered.

"Alright sir. I need you to back away from her, alright? Just let her go. We just want to talk."

The man stared at her and frowned, tightening his grip on the gun.

"A name, Cass. I need a name."

"I'm Sergeant Cassidy Brooks, from the Toronto SRU. You want to tell me your name?"

He glanced back at his partner, who just shrugged. "Lee."

"Lee, what's going on today? What's this all about?"

He pointed to the woman. "We're just her for an in and out, officer. We don't want trouble."

"Tell him we don't either." Greg ordered. "Find an angle, here, Cass."

"We don't want trouble either, Lee. What's your friend's name?"

The unidentified man kept his gun trained on a hostage. "David."

"David, Lee, we don't want trouble. I promise you, ok? I need you to put the guns down now."

"Not until she-" Lee waved his gun at the terrified blond. "Gives us the code."

"The code for-" Cassidy thought for a minute. "The code for the bank machines?"

"I don't know it." The blonde whimpered. "It's not-it's not my department."

"Lee, she doesn't have the code. No one here knows it."

Lee growled and grabbed the blonde's shoulder. "She knows it."

"Escalating here." Ed yelled. "Back it off, Brooks."

"Why do you want the code? What are you going to do with the money?" she asked, trying to get his mind off the blonde teller.

"I need it." Lee said firmly, offering no other explanation in his broken English.

"David, do you need the money too?" she asked. He nodded his head.

"Greg, I have no angle." She muttered into her mic. She was losing this one, and she knew it.

"They're not giving us one." sighed Greg. "Keep them talking."

"What do you want the money for, David?" she asked. He was calmer than Lee...she was hoping that in getting him on her side, she could sway Lee to cooperate.

"I have some friends. I owe them." David said, simply.

"Drugs, maybe?" Spike asked.

"Possible. Ask him if it's drug related."

"Owe them for what, David? Owe them for drugs?"

He nodded. "They called in the debt."

"Tell them we'll keep them safe from their buddies. That they won't be able to come after them."

"Guys, I'm telling you right now. Drop the guns, and I swear, your drug buddies won't get to you. You have my word. We just want everyone out of here safe."

"Safe in jail?" spat Lee.

"Better to be safe in jail than safe in a coffin." she shot back. "Even if you get out of here, you think your drug buddies will be happy that they have cops on their tail over this money? Or better yet, over an injured civilian?"

David seemed to catch her words. Wordy saw it too. "David, son, just put it down. It'll go better if you just drop the gun."

"David!" shouted Lee.

Cassidy could see the conflict written on the young Asian man's face, and gave a sigh of relief when he dropped the gun. Wordy grabbed the young man's arm and pulled him towards the waiting regular officers who were on stand by. She turned her attention back to Lee, who looked furious.

"I am not going back to prison!" he shouted.

"Lee, it's over." she said, hoping she sounded firm. "It's done. Put the gun down."

"Subject escalating!" yelled Greg.

It was one of those moments that you look back at, and realize that you reacted purely on instinct. Cassidy didn't know if it was the way his finger twitched at the trigger, or the way his eyes darted over to the young woman on the ground beside him.

She didn't know what it was, but she knew that he was going to shoot her. Try to fight his way out. Relying on instinct alone, she used her gun as shield, charging towards him.

She heard the gun collide with his ribs, her knuckles cracking with the force of the collision.

She heard the yell of her teammates in her ear. She saw Ed come charging down the stairs towards them.

She heard the screams of the woman beside her.

She heard a sharp bang, like someone popping a balloon in her ear. Two more bangs followed.

She felt a sharp smashing feeling in her vest, felt herself go backwards, back from the momentum of her charge.

She felt her head slap the hard floor of the bank, heard Ed yelling something about a man down.

She felt a haze blow over her, like a dark fog. Heard Sam talking to her. She couldn't make out what he was saying.

Spike's voice, sounding panicked. _Spike_. He sounded...afraid? Why was he afraid? She opened her mouth to tell him that she was ok, to calm down. but she couldn't make her mouth move.

She felt the pain sharpen, hands lifting her, dragging her.

And then she felt nothing.

**Da-da-dum. I'm a big meanie. That's where the chapter ends! :D**

**Reviews motivate me, just a hint. Seriously, though, no making you wait a month for the next chapter. I'll have it up soon. Promise!**


	14. Chapter 14 Beep

**Now when I said I'd have the chapter up soon, I didn't intend to post it today...But I already had parts of the next few chapters written, so it made it really easy to finish. So, here it is, the debut of Chapter 14! I'm going to try and avoid being super angsty, but we'll see how it goes. **

**So for those of you who asked for the next chapter, here it goes! Let's see what Cassidy did to herself now...**

**Oh yes! Before we go there, let me beg. Please review. I'm a writer. I live off of reviews. I literally check my story every 20 minutes in the days after I post a chapter. It's pathetic, but it's what I do. So please, to the lurkers who read this, take a minute and press the little blue button, let me know that you like my work. It makes my day! **

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Cassidy Brooks was a woman of limited supply of patience. She didn't find fault in herself because of it. She merely accepted it as part of her genetic make-up.

Certain things could make her lose that patience. Inconsiderate people, annoying co-workers, and incessant noise all fell into that category.

Which is why she was pissed off with the incessant beeping nose that was insisting on invading her dreams.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

It was like being stuck with a malfunctioning alarm clock, the kind that made the especially annoying beeping noise designed to make you jump out of bed and practically smash the thing to get it to shut up.

Except this thing was worse. It _wouldn't_. Be. Quiet.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Would you just shut the frick up?" she growled, finally opening her eyes to glare at the offending item.

She was expecting to see some sort of machine sent by either the devil or her brother (She wasn't sure which) to torture her. She wasn't expecting to see the whole of Team One sprawled around a hospital room. And she _definitely _wasn't expecting to see Spike Scarlatti, lying half on a chair and half on her bed, holding her hand.

"We have movement." Ed called from his corner of the room.

Spike groaned and poked his head up, his hair giving a demonstration of his namesake. He grinned at her. "You're alive!"

"I...think so." Cassidy was confused. Or confuzzled, as Cole used to say. A smile crept across her face at that thought.

"What happened?" she asked.

Greg sighed. "You know, when I said I needed you functional, I wasn't saying it to be dramatic. Or to fill the transcripts, for that matter."

She closed her eyes, and then remembered. The hostage situation, the moment of instinct that had sent her flying towards a loaded gun..."The girl! Is she-"

"She's fine." Sam said, looking comfortably sprawled out on a small arm chair. "You got there in time."

"And took a shot to the vest in the process." Spike explained. She didn't miss the fact that he was still holding her hand.

"And Lee? And David?" she persisted.

Ed winced. "David's in custody. Lee...he's not."

She closed her eyes and processed this. "You shot him down?"

Ed sighed. "Not much choice, Cass."

She nodded. Sam broke the awkward silence that was quickly ensuing. "Since you're alive, and everything, and Spike's not on the verge of a nervous breakdown anymore, I think I'm gonna go. Jules...she's getting close to the birth thing, and she's-"

"Moody?" guessed Wordy.

"Extremely." sighed Sam. "On Saturday, she was making us for spaghetti for supper, right? I walk into the kitchen, and she's crying like a baby. I'm thinking something's really wrong, and I ask her what's going on. She's like, 'The water's just taking to so long to boil. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it just won't boil!"'

Spike and Lew burst out laughing, and Sam just shook his head again. "See, that's what I did. And-I'm lucky I didn't sleep outside." He paused, and glared at Lew and Spike. "Yeah, you think it's funny. But imagine angry Jules." He shuddered. "I don't plan on reliving that!"

The expression on Sam's face was priceless, and Cassidy burst out laughing. She winced at the sudden pain on the right side of her rib cage. Then she thought of something.

"If I took the bullet in the vest," she asked. "How did I end up unconscious?"

Spike grimaced. "You fell backwards. It was the worst way you could've fallen. Smacked your head on a stair, gave yourself a concussion." He sat up and stared at her. "Seriously, are you trying to give me a heart attack? When I told you to be careful, I wasn't just saying it because I like hearing my own voice. Hot and Italian may it be, I actually meant what I said!"

"Um...Spike?" asked Lew.

Spike glanced over his shoulder. "What?"

Lew gave a grin that belonged on a 12 year old, rather than a mature young man. He held up his hands in the shape of the heart, and then looked at Cassidy and Spike through them. Cassidy burst out laughing, and Spike just rolled his eyes.

"Real mature man. That's just the picture of adulthood."

"No avoiding it, Spike. There is some major sexual tension in this room right now."

Cassidy really laughed now. "Lew, cut it out! Seriously! Laughing hurts!"

Sam just grimaced. "This is a really good time for me to go home."

Wordy smiled at the team. "Me too, actually. Some of us hen pecked husbands have to be getting home."

"Or there will be some serious tension. And not the fun kind..." sighed Sam.

Spike broke his glare at Lewis to grin at Sam. "Hey, buddy?"

Sam glanced over. "Yeah man?"

He gave the tiniest slight of his head over in Cassidy's direction. "Thanks."

Sam grinned like he was the Cheshire Cat and walked out of the room. Wordy followed, giving a small wave to the rest of the team.

"Actually, Lew is kind of right." observed Ed.

"Words that have been never uttered by a sane being." Quipped Spike, earning another chuckle from Cassidy. Dang, he loved making her laugh. He would never, ever admit scared he was yesterday. How afraid he was that they'd be over when they were just getting started, and how worried he was that he was going to lose her. When he heard the shot, heard Ed say that they had a man down...

He didn't like the fact that his heart was practically being held onto by another person; one who had a habit, it seemed, of putting herself in bad situations.

"Not that I want to give Spike ammunition here, but I'm right?" Lew asked.

"Kind of." Ed said. His eyes rested on Spike and Cassidy's hands, which still gripped each other. Spike felt like mentally kicking himself for being that lax in front of the team, but he wasn't about to pull away from her. Not if she was ok with being close to him. "What's with you two?"

Spike glanced at Cassidy, who gave him a slight smile. He saw it...she trusted him. Somehow, somewhere along the way, they'd gotten to a place where she decided that she trusted him.

It was then that he realized that he would be making his Mom's dreams of him settling down come true. Because he, Michelangelo 'can't get a girlfriend' Scarlatti was absolutely hooked.

"If I said that there was a very good chance that we were going Braddock on you guys, would you get my meaning?" asked Spike.

Greg blew out a long sigh. "Should I just put a sign on the door? SRU, also home of Parker Matchmaking services?"

Spike laughed. "Might be a good idea, boss."

"How long?" asked Ed, staring at the two of them.

"Or how about, how far?" asked Lew, cracking up again.

Cassidy rolled her eyes and pointed at Lew with a glare. "Don't push it." She turned her attention back to Ed. "Um, I don't know. Almost a month?"

She was referring back to the day he had taken her to his place for their first dinner together. "Sounds about right to me." Spike confirmed.

Greg raised his eyebrows. "You realize you're under the same protocol that Sam and Jules were under, right? You're talking to me. It doesn't carry into work, you still follow the priority. All of that?"

"I know boss. The whole deal. And we avoid talking to Toth about it anymore than necessary." Spike said.

"That's a big one." sighed Greg. "He won't be happy."

"Is he ever?" Spike laughed. He smiled at Cassidy. She hadn't dealt with Toth, yet, but he would make sure that she was prepared for anything. She wouldn't be blindsided, not when he was around.

"Then I guess I get to say congratulations." Greg allowed a strained smile. Spike could see that he was worried, and made a mental note to talk to him later. He punched Spike on the shoulder, gave a smile to Cassidy, and then motioned at Ed and Lew to follow him.

"Why do I have to go?" protested Lew.

"Because Spike will mess with your social media if you don't. High class geek, remember? Let's go, get a coffee, give them a moment."

Lew sent a grin to Cassidy and Spike, and then swaggered out of the room. Spike sighed and turned his full attention back to Cassidy.

"Sore?"

She nodded. The hospital gown, her hair pulled down...she looked like a little girl. So vulnerable. So very much his to protect.

"You realize that I'm off tomorrow, right?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

"And what does that mean, Mr. Scarlatti?" She asked, a twinkle in her eyes.

He leaned in. "That means, my _cuore_, that you are completely stuck with me."

She eyed him carefully. "For how long?"

"Well, tomorrow, at least. And then the day after that, and then the day after that..." He grinned at her. "I think it's safe to guess that we're long term."

She sank down into her pillows and gave a tired sigh. He leaned back in his chair, and contented himself to play with a stray curl that fell over her shoulder.

"Spike?"

He glanced over. "Yeah?"

She stared at him, and he could still see the part of her that wanted to hide, that wanted to run. The way she had run so many times before.

"Don't leave, ok?"

He grinned, and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. She ducked her head down, but he put his fingers under her chin, bringing her to meet his gaze. "I don't plan to, _amore_."

He climbed up beside her on her hospital bed and tucked her into his arm, loving the way she fit beside him.

It was at that point that he promised himself, no matter what it took, no matter how hard she tried to keep him at a distance, he would win her. Completely, and utterly, the way she had won him.

It wouldn't be easy. He knew the next while wouldn't be easy, and counted on the angry messages on her phone to contribute to that challenge. But Spike Scarlatti wasn't a man to back away from a challenge.

He smiled down at the sleeping form in his arms. Especially not a challenge like this.

_**cuore: soul**_

_**amore: love**_

**Had to throw Italian endearments in here! Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15 Where I Come From

**Chapter 15, not much to say! We get a little bit more of a sense of Cassidy's back story here...The next couple chapters have been a bit of a pain to write, but the results have been entertaining! And fluffy. Why? Because I wanted them to be! I have an evil plan for future chapters, so I figured I'd give you some fluff for right now.**

**Reviews make me happy! I always get so excited when I see a new review. Feedback of any sort is really, really appreciated.**

**With that said, enjoy!**

Spike made sure Cassidy was settled into the seat of the car firmly. He grabbed the seat belt and moved to pull it over her. She snorted in amusement.

"Spike, seriously. You don't have to put my seat belt on for me. I'm a big girl."

He kissed her nose and gave her his best heartbreaker smile. "I know you are. But I'm looking after you today. Doctor and boss's orders. So no complaining."

She rolled her eyes, but let him pull the seatbelt over and clip it in. He checked to make sure it wasn't squeezing on her side, and then, closing the door, he walked around the car and settled into his own seat.

"Are we going to your place or mine?" she asked.

"I figured we'd go to yours."

They arrived in a matter of minutes, and Spike went around to her side. She had already pulled of her seatbelt, and moved to get out of the car. Spike responded by scooping her up into his arms, bridal style.

"Spike!" she giggled.

"I was serious when I said I was looking after you today!" he grinned. He shifted her in his arms and kicked the car door closed. "Where do you keep your key?"

"In my purse!" she motioned to her side with a laugh.

After a bit of amazing coordination, Spike managed to unlock her front door and carry her through the entrance. He gently set her down on the couch, and gave himself a mental pat on the back for the smile on your face.

"What?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You amaze me."

"I'm getting this before I've even pulled out the food?" he pumped his fist. "Double points for Scarlatti!"

She eyed him. "You brought food?"

"I'm Italian!" he laughed. "Every occasion, happy or sad, requires the bringing of food."

She moved to stand up and go towards the kitchen, but he stopped her. "Na-uh! No getting up. In fact..." He grabbed a blanket of the arm of her couch, and motioned for her to sit back. He firmly wrapped her in it and then pointed at her. "Stay."

Cassidy couldn't help but smile as Spike walked away. After everything that had happened in Alberta, after feeling like she wasn't meant to be loved, she was amazed at the way she found her heart coming together. Not to the way it had been before she'd lost Cole, but to a new, patented Scarlatti way.

When she had come to Toronto, it was to run away. She couldn't pretend that it was anything else.

She thought of the things she had run away from. Everything from her family, to the memories of Cole, to her so-called friends. She had run so hard from that world, privileged as it was. And she had never planned on trusting anyone again. So many people had betrayed her, so many people were so quick to judge her for everything that had happened.

She looked up at Spike, who was now busying himself in her kitchen. He was the wildcard. He wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't a relationship type of girl, nor was she the type to count on anyone. But every time she'd thought that he'd run away, or turn his back, he would just come back and prove her wrong.

Cassidy turned to stare out the window, which gave her a nice view of the tops of Toronto's tallest buildings. This place was meant to be her new start, her new go at the world. She had never expected just how much of a fresh start it would become.

"Happy thoughts?"

She glanced up to see Spike standing over her, plate of food in hand. "Cheese quesadillas, hot off the pan."

She grinned and took the plate. "You made me quesadillas?"

"Yep." He flopped down beside her with his own plate. She stared at him, and he looked the tiniest bit sheepish. "My Mom might've coached me a little."

She laughed. "Doesn't matter! They look amazing!"

Spike flipped on the TV and turned it to the Toronto Chicago baseball game. They sat watching for awhile, until Spike set his plate down and muted the television. "You know the protocol for when an officer goes down?"

She wrinkled her nose, which he also mentally added to his list of adorable things she did. "Um, no?"

"So you didn't know that Greg called your parents about what happened?"

She turned to stare at him, and paled considerably. "He called my parents?"

"It was protocol. We have to notify your next of kin."

She groaned and rubbed her forehead with her knuckle, as if it would bring some sort of relief. "And that's probably why the message light on my phone is blinking like crazy."

"That was part two of what I was going to tell you." Spike said. He turned himself to face her. "You had some pretty angry messages on your cell phone."

"Had?"

He allowed himself a small smile. "You didn't think I'd expose you to such charming words, do you?"

She snorted, for the second time that day. "So you went through my messages, deleting the ones you didn't like...anything else I should know?"

Spike smirked. "I reprogrammed your ring tones. Why would you only have one ringtone for everyone?"

Cassidy rolled her eyes. She wacked him with the pillow, and then moved to get up. He held out his arm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?"

She pointed to the phone. "To check my messages? As much as I'd like to ignore my parents, that's not really an option."

"Why do I get the feeling that your parents aren't especially supportive of you being in Toronto?"

She sighed. "Understatement of the year. They were furious when I decided to go."

"What made you come?" Spike asked, getting up to grab the phone for her.

"I don't know...at first it was freedom. I was so sick of being the town's rebel-"

Spike snorted, and then realized her habit was rubbing off on him. Shoot. "A rebel, are you?"

"Dude, it was a tiny little town. Way conservative. I was the poster girl for rebel." She leaned back and stared at a pitch going to the Chicago second baseman, who swung and missed to end the inning. "I wanted to get away. I was so tired of everyone, even my parents, treating me like I wasn't good enough. I made a mistake, and that was enough to condemn me for life, it seemed. I was so tired of being the one who people looked at and didn't want to be like. After Cole died, I had nothing keeping me there. I'd been to Toronto a couple times with Cole...it seemed like a good place to start over."

"So why SRU? Why the police force?" Spike pressed.

"Because the police were Cole's definition of a super hero. Seriously, a guy like Ed? Right up there with Ironman. It was just how Cole saw them. And because what happened was so wrong...it was so unfair; I needed to find justice."

"So you became a superhero." mused Spike.

"Or at least Cole's definition of one." She grinned.

"But your parents couldn't support that?"

Cassidy glanced at Spike. In everything he'd learned about her he'd never run away. He'd proven to her that no matter what she had to say, he wasn't going to judge her. "They didn't support me when I had Cole. It wasn't their idea of what my life should be like. They saw Cole's death as my new shot at life-or at least the life they'd planned for me. This wasn't part of that plan."

Spike sent a prayer up that he wasn't pushing too far. She was finally to the point where she'd actually talk about herself with him. He didn't know if she'd stay at that place, or close up inside of herself when she was feeling independent once again. So he pushed. "What was their plan?"

She gave a short, bitter laugh. "They wanted me to be my Mom. The good little wife, who raises the kids, cleans the house, cooks the meals, and obeys her husband like he's the freaking King of England. You can imagine how it went over when I got pregnant with Cole."

"Did anything change after he was born?" Spike took her hand in his.

"My Mom loved him, in her own way. My Dad...he wanted nothing to do with him. Cole was the bastard child that tainted our reputation, or something along those lines. We argued about my choice to keep him so many times. So many times I was ready to give him up, just to stop the wars over it."

"But you didn't."

"No," she sighed. "I couldn't. So I jumped their vision, had the kid, lost the kid, and came here. My life in a nutshell."

She sniffed and swiped at a tear. "And now I become a basket case. Shoot."

Spike passed her a tissue. "It's cool, Cass. I get it. My Dad still isn't happy with me being a part of the team."

She stared at him, and he continued. "He has so many things that he'd rather I be doing. Thinks I could be out there, making a name for myself and doing big things in the world. He told me that I was throwing my life away."

"That's ridiculous!"

Spike nodded. "I know. And so is what your parents believe. But it's not about them. It's about what we think of what we're doing. And I, for one, think we're awesome."

"I'll second that!" she laughed, picking up the phone and dialing her message code.

Spike leaned back. So this is what is was like to have someone who wasn't programmed by computer in your life.

He hated to admit it, but his Mom had been right. It was definitely the best feeling ever.

"Shoot. Shoot. Are your freaking kidding me?" Cassidy muttered, pulling Spike's attention back.

"What is it?" he mouthed as she listened to the phone. She held up a finger, and he was silent.

She hung up the phone and leaned her head on the back of the couch, sighing deeply.

"Cass?" Spike asked unsurely. "What is it?"

She groaned. "Not what I need, that's for sure. I guess this whole shot in the vest thing freaked my family out...My parents are flying down for the week tomorrow."

**Long, possibly fluffy, maybe a little bit boring, but completely necessary!**

**Cassidy's parents are coming to see her...how will they react to her job? And what about Spike? How's he going to go over with them?**

**Guess you'll just have to wait until I finish the next chapter to find out! ;D**


	16. Chapter 16 Airport

**Hey! It's been awhile since I updated, but I managed to get this done today...I recently started up my new project, an Avengers and Hunger Games crossover. I'm having all kinds of fun writing that one, but I promise I will not abandon Spike and Cassidy, either! I will finish this story. I just needed some time to get the other one going...**

**Anyways, 74 reviews? You guys are amazing! Hopefully you enjoy the update!**

**Oh yeah...a side note. I'm kind of getting married...:D (YES! I KNOW! I'm getting hitched!) So updating will be hard, but I promise. It will come.**

"You could stop pacing, you know." said Spike as he lounged in the seat at the airport. "Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy?"

Cassidy shook her head. Spike had agreed to come with her to pick up her parents with her, something she still couldn't understand. She didn't want to see them, which made it hard for her to figure out why he still wanted to come along.

"You wouldn't be so relaxed if you'd already met them." she told him firmly, still not sitting down.

Spike thought about it for a moment, but then shook his head. "Actually, I would be. You know why?"

She rolled her eyes, but knew he wouldn't drop it until she gave him a response. "Why?"

"Cause I already know you!" he gave her a cheesy grin, which did make her laugh.

"Wow."

"What can I say?" Spike said, smirking at her. "I'm irresistable."

"Irresistable my ass." she snorted.

"Yeah, you know, it is pretty irre-"

He was cut off by her smacking him across the head. "Ow..."

"Your fault." she told him firmly, finally sitting down next to him.

"Westjet Flight 207, arriving from Calgary, AB, is unloading at Gate 3." a voice came over the intercom, and Cassidy sat up suddenly.

"And here we go." she muttered. Spike saw her shoulders stiffen, and felt her edge away from him a little bit. It was her coping method, he figured, to push people away when she felt in danger of losing him. One of these days he'd convince her that he was there to stay, but until then, it was a continuing work in progress.

"Hey, Cass?" he said, helping her up so that she could go over to the gate.

"Yeah?"

He wasn't sure how appropriate it was, considering he was just about to meet her parents, but he planted a small kiss on her forehead. "I'm not Blake."

She grinned at him shakily, and allowed him to take her arm as they walked over together. They stood in silence as they waited for the plane to unload, and he felt her tense up as soon as the doors began to open, revealing the passengers.

A couple, a tiny woman with shorter, greying hair, and a large man with a bushy beard were the first to exit, and Cassidy immediately waved.

'Well,' thought Spike, 'At least we know what side of the family she gets her hight from.'

"Cassidy!" gushed the woman, wrapping her arms around her daughter's shoulders. "Hi sweetheart!"

"Hi Mom!" she said brightly. Spike immediately realized something was off, if only because her voice was much higher than normal. She was smiling widely, but Spike could see that it didn't reach her eyes. She was already trying too hard.

It was then that her father came over to them. He was a big guy, with a scruffy brown beard and big glasses. He was wearing dress pants, and a dress coat over a white shirt, and had a scowl on his face that Spike was pretty sure was permanent.

"Dad." she said, carefully. Spike had seen her in a lot of situations, but this was another new one to him. She looked nervous.

"Cassidy." he said, firmly. He held out his arms and gave her a small hug.

"We got the call from your boss a couple days ago, sweetie." said her Mom, who had since moved closer to her and was now holding her hand. Spike knew that Cassidy didn't have the fondest memories of home, to say the least, but he decided that he kind of liked her Mom already.

"Which we knew would come." added her father.

He, Spike immediately decided, he did not like. Not even a little bit.

"Good to see you too, Dad." she muttered, and Spike wanted to give her a hi-5 for that one. It probably wasn't the most tactful thing to do at that point, though, so he made a mental note to do it later.

"Are you in pain?" asked her mother.

Cassidy shrugged. "A little bit. It wasn't that bad."

'Liar.' thought Spike fondly.

"But it was bad enough for your boss to have to call us." said her father, matter of factly.

She rolled her eyes, earning a glare from him. "It's just protocol."

"It shouldn't have to be. I think it's pretty clear what kind of people the job is for, and the fact that we're getting a call from her boss that she's in the hospital because she couldn't do it properly..."

"James..." her mother spoke up sharply. She motioned to the people around them. "Not here."

Her father, James, huffed, but to Spike's surprise, was silent.

That was until he met Spike's eyes. Spike had been standing against a nearby wall support beam, leaning up against it and watching the exchange in silence. James' eyes widened, and his head jerked back over to Cassidy.

"Who's he?" James asked, pointing in Spike's direction.

Cassidy glanced over at Spike, her eyes resembling that of a deer caught in the headlights. Spike took that as his invitation to take charge of the situation.

"Spike Scarlatti." he said, walking over to the trio. He slipped his arm around Cassidy's waist firmly, and offered his other hand to her father. He simply stared at it, and Spike shrugged, stuffing his hand into his pocket.

"And..." her mother's eyes took in Spike's arm around Cassidy. "You're her..."

"Boyfriend." Spike finished firmly. Maybe he wasn't quite technically her boyfriend yet, but he figured announcing it to her parents was close enough to making it official.

Her Dad had been doing a pretty good job of looking like he was sucking lemons before Spike said this. The expression afterwards was priceless.

"Her...boyfriend." he said, his voice low and angry.

"Yeah. I work for the SRU. It's where I met Cass."

"James." her mother reprimanded, just as he opened his mouth to say something. He glared at his wife, and then turned back to Cassidy.

"And how much have you told him?" he all but growled.

Cassidy was about to reply, but Spike cut her off. "Are you talking about Cole? Or Blake? Or the part where you guys saw her son dying as a second chance at her life?"

James stared at him, and for a moment, in the middle of the crowded airport, the two men stared each other down. Spike didn't flinch, but rather held his gaze, his eyes flashing.

Later, Spike would try and figure out exactly why he was so angry in that moment. He wasn't sure if it was just the guy's overall personality, or if it was the way that he had been a bit of a tool to his girlfriend. He eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't exactly the way the guy had treated Cassidy, although it could've used some improvement. It was more the idea that he'd been the cause of so much of the hurt that Spike had been left to help Cassidy sort through. He hadn't been there to see the hurt when it had been brought into her life, but he was the one dealing with it.

"Spike." Cassidy whispered, jolting him out of the stare showdown.

He gave her a small smile, and then turned back to James. "My car's outside. We can get your stuff to her place, if you want."

James shook his head. "We rented a car. We didn't want to be reliant on our daughter to provide transportation for us around the city. We'll manage fine, thank you."

Spike nodded, and nodded to Cass. "I guess we'll meet you at her place, then."

James shook his head. "I think it will be best if she rides with Martha and I." He nodded to his daughter, and to Spike's surprise, she heaved a sigh and got up to follow him.

'Sure.' thought Spike. 'Get her out of my earshot so that you can deal with her your way.'

"Actually," said Spike firmly, reaching out and taking her hand. "I'll take her, thank you sir. I assume you have directions?"

Her mother nodded as her father stood, staring at Spike. Spike grinned at him widely, and then led her out the nearest set of doors, ignoring that it was farther away from their parking spot.

After all, kick butt moments like this required dramatic entrances.

**So, was her Dad what you expected? This is how I've envisioned him from the start of the story. A lot of things have changed about this thing along the way, but her Dad was always the constant. I tried to write him to be the total opposite of my Dad, and I actually like how his character worked! **

**And the plot continues...Was everyone happy that Spike gave a little shove back? I didn't want a big, dramatic, family blow up. I mean, they were in the middle of the airport, and they had just met each other. Hopefully this is still working for you!**

**Reviews are awesome!**


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